 | Men's Basketball |
SIUE Men's Basketball SIUE Athletics | |
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 T.J. Gray |
February 5, 2008 Men's Basketball Travels to Lewis, UWP EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men's basketball team has to be hoping that its recent shooting success continues as it embarks on the longest road swing of the season. SIUE, 11-8 overall and 4-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, has five straight games on the road. It begins Thursday at Lewis with tip-off time at 7:45 p.m. On Saturday, SIUE travels to UW-Parkside for a 3 p.m. contest. The Cougars hold a three-game winning streak and are in third place in the GLVC's West Division. The Cougars broke the Vadalabene Center record for three-pointers made in each of the last two games. In victories over Missouri-St. Louis Saturday and Oakland City Monday, SIUE recorded 13 and 15 three-pointers, respectively. The 15 three-pointers tied a single-game school record set in the 1993-94 season. "I like the steps we have taken as a team," said SIUE coach Lennox Forrester. "Even in some of the losses, I think we have made some strides." T.J. Gray (Chicago) can thank his teammates for helping him to get open while he pursues the single-season three-pointers record. Tying the mark set by Ron Jones during the 2002-03 season at 74 treys, Gray leads the GLVC and is No. 2 in the nation in three-pointers made per game. "And I think he's an unselfish player. After looking at the stat sheet from Monday's game, he also had six assists to go along with his 16 points," said Forrester. Over the last five games, SIUE has shot 52.5 percent from the field and 50.9 percent (59-116) as a team. Forrester said it's been a trickle-down effect as the perimeter shots have been falling. It has added to the inside game as noted by the first double-double of the season from freshman center Nikola Bundalo (Belgrade, Serbia), who scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Monday against Oakland City. "Asa Clayborne has stepped up as well," Forrester said. Clayborne has been the second-leading scorer over the last five games with 11.8 points per contest. "T.J. and J.B. Jones (Belleville) also have been doing a better job of being leaders," Forrester said of two of his seniors. -siue cougars- |