ST. LOUIS - The first-half shooting percentages tell the story, as SIU has gotten off to a 58.3 clip (14-24) while the Bears have shot a paltry 25.0 percent (6-24) en route to a 32-24 Saluki lead at the break.

MSU had good looks throughout the first 20 minutes, but could get nothing to drop from the field. The charity stripe was not any more charitable, as the Bears made only nine of 16 free throw attempts.  

Despite the sluggish start, MSU was able to keep the lead to single digits behind Adam Leonard's (Sr., Lee's Summit, Mo.) 11 points. The senior hit two of the Bears' three field goals from behind the arc.

After the Salukis jumped out to a 17-9 lead with 12:48 remaining, Jermaine Mallett (Sr., Jackson, Miss.) sparked a short-lived MSU scoring binge and ended a 6:21 field goal drought. His tip-in off a Kyle Weems' missed jump shot was the first of nine points in 3:29 minutes, which culminated with Caleb Patterson' (Jr., Ames, Okla.) 15-foot jumper that cut the lead to 22-20 with 6:03 to go in the half.

SIU responded to the Bears' threat by scoring 10 of the game's last 14 points before intermission. Kendal Brown-Surles leads the way with nine points and two assists. He scored the Salukis' first seven points of the game. Mamadou Seck has eight points and ten rebounds.      

For the Bears, MVC Player of the Year Kyle Weems is 0-7 from the field, with one point coming from the free-throw line.