Southern Illinois gets by UT Martin with strong second half (Dec 22, 2016)
CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) Armon Fletcher scored 22 points and Southern Illinois powered past Tennessee-Martin late in the second half to earn a 78-70 win on Thursday night.
Fletcher hit 8 of 13 field goals and 3 of 6 from deep. Sean O'Brien added 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting for the Salukis (7-6), who shot 55.8 percent and hit 15 of 17 at the line.
The score was tied at 57 with 5:32 left when a free throw and layup by Sean Lloyd sparked an 8-2 scoring spurt for the Salukis, which gave them a lead which they did not relinquish.
A Javier Martinez layup got UT Martin to within three at 67-64 with 1:43 left, but Southern Illinois quickly matched with seven straight to put the game out of reach.
Matthew Butler scored 19 points and Kahari Beaufort added 15 for UT Martin (10-5).
