Cyclones hand Bills first loss

The Billikids went down to defeat for the first time this season as Iowa State came away with a 65-54 victory over SLU in the semifinals of the Chicago Invitational Challenge the UIC Pavilion.
The guys battled hard for much of the game, but some poor shooting from the 3-point line and free throw line, coupled with Iowa State's overall size, athleticism and depth proved to be too much for the kids to handle on this night.
A 13-0 run by the Cyclones early in the second half proved to be the difference in the game. AFter trailing 30-27 at halftime, we actually took the lead 31-30 on consecutive baskets by Christian Salecich and Brian Conklin.
The advantage was short-lived as Iowa State responded by scoring the next 13 points to take total control of the game. They led by as many as 17 points in the second half. The Bills made several attempts to get back into the game, but could never get any closer than eight points.
It was a good lesson to be learned by a young team. We've seen these droughts before in previous games, but we were able to overcome and come away with a victory. Against a team the caliber of Iowa State, overcoming a lull is much harder to accomplish and we saw that tonight. During the run, they hurried us into some tough shots, then got some easy run-out baskets and 3-point baskets in transition. It was a tough stretch, but one in which we will learn from.
The main culprit tonight was 3-point shooting. We shot only one 16 from long distance. We came into the game shooting 44 percent as a team, but the perimeter game was non-existent tonight.
The Iowa State perimeter defenders did a great job of crowding our shooters, especially Kyle Cassity and Christian Salecich. Rarely did they have a open look at the basket. When they did, the shots were hurried a little bit because the Cyclones recovered well. Kwamain Mitchell encoutered early foul trouble and could never get in the flow of the game, shooting only two of 10 from the field and one for six from 3-point land.
We also struggled from the free throw line, making seven of 12. We missed the front end of two one-and-ones late in the first half, which could have resulted in a halftime lead.
Despite the loss, there were plenty of positive things to take from tonight's game. The Bills made the first half a competitive affair, which was more impressive when you consider that Kwamain played only one minute. After picking up his second foul early, he came to the bench and sat the rest of the half.
SLU managed to battled the Cyclones on even terms for the rest of the half. We played solid defense in holding ISU to 35 percent shooting in the first half and we outrebounded them as well.
The bright spots tonight were our bigs Willie Reed and Brian Conklin (pictured) were came up with big games against Iowa State's plethora of big men. Conklin tied a career high with 18 points. He scored on a variety of tough shots in the paint in making eight of 10 from the field.
Willie was impressive as well with 14 points and 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Willie is also showing an explosive first step off the dribble. When faced against a bigger, slower defender, Willie showed the abilit to blow by his defender and stay under control for a good shot.
I was also encouraged by the performance of the youngsters off the bench in the first half. When Kwamain went to the bench early with his second foul, I held my breath.
But Corey Remekun, Justin Jordan, Femi John and Jeff Reid contributed 11 points in the first half. That was big with Kwamain on the bench and Christian and Kyle being neutralized by ISU's pressure defense. Remekun really gave us a lift with five points, two rebounds, two blocks one big dunk and some very energetic minutes. After seeing limited minutes, Rick rewarded his effort with a few more ticks tonight as Corey logged 15 minutes. Corey still gets his fouls, but he is not cheated on effort. In the first half, we were able to combat Iowa State's pressure with some pretty good backdoor cuts and passes for easy layups.
The Billikids also showed some fight in the second half when it looked like it could have easily been a big blowout. Iowa State built a 51-34 lead and appeared poised to run the Bills out of the UIC Pavilion. Instead, SLU fought back and threatened to make things a little interesting down the stretch. The real decisive run never came, but I like the fact that they kept playing hard. That will come in handy down the road when they do make an improbable rally to win a game that they are not supposed to win.
I am impressed with Iowa State's team. Coach McDermott has a nice team that is better equipped to handle the Big XII Conference than any of his previous three outfits. They have good size, a great player in Craig Brackins, better athleticism and good depth. It will be interesting to see what happens when they get into conference play. Their point guard, Diante Garrett, a 6'4" athlete, gave us the blues on both ends of the court.
Overall, it was a tough game, but a good learning experience for a young team playing away from the comfy confines of the Chaifetz Arena for the first tiime against a quality opponent.
We have a quick turnaround, then we have to get after it against another good team tomorrow night. I left the arena at halftime and Northwestern was leading Notre Dame. Either way, it will be another tough game.
I'll have a preview on the game either later tonight or in the morning.
It was cool to see a lot of folks in Billiken blue make the trip to Chi-Town.
I'll talk to you in a little bit. In the words of the late, great Jack Buck, "So long for just awhile."
Go Bills.

Brian Conklin photo courtesy of slubillikens.com

Note: Be on the look out for my new and improved basketball website (www.earlaustinjr.com) coming up next week. The new earlaustinjr.com will celebrate the past, present and future of St. Louis basketball. A big feature of the new website will be a section dedicated to SLU basketball. Stay tuned.