Collegiate Times

COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team saw its 2007 NCAA Tournament run come to an end Sunday afternoon, when the Hokies dropped their second game of the year to Southern Illinois 63-48.  

“I’m disappointed, obviously, in the outcome of the game today,” said Tech head coach Seth Greenberg. “But, that’s not going to take away from how proud I am of these guys.”

In their second meeting of the season, the Hokies and Salukis each got off to slow starts offensively, with both sides making the least of easy scoring opportunities. Tech’s Jamon Gordon was 0-3 at the free-throw line early and A.D. Vassallo was unable to connect on any of his three-point attempts. 

“It’s very, very simple—you make shots, you win, you don’t make shots, you don’t win,” Greenberg said. “We didn’t make shots…We had good looks early in the game, (but) we didn’t make them.”

Deron Washington enjoyed more success from behind the arc in the first half than did Vassallo. Washington shot 1-2 from downtown, while the usually more consistent Vassallo went 0-4. 

Despite being offensively challenged, the Hokies would take an 18-15 lead following a 10-2 run. However, the Salukis would answer. A 13-2 Southern Illinois run to end the first half would put the Missouri Valley Conference’s regular season champion ahead 22-18.

Despite the each team’s run during the first half, it was a period defined by an inability to score the basketball, at least as far as Virginia Tech was concerned. The Hokies shot only 37.5-percent from the floor and 25-percent from behind the three-point line. 

“We just couldn’t get no shots to fall,” said Washington.  “We was just missing open shots and not getting to the rim as much. It just was a bad shooting night.”

It didn’t help matters when Tech’s Coleman Collins picked up his fourth personal foul at the 18:04 mark in the second half. He would later foul out at the 7:50 mark on a questionable call. 

“I just felt like the game got taken out of my hands at that point,” said Collins, who ended his collegiate career with four points and three rebounds. “I was shocked. If I was going to foul out I was going to foul out on fouls. Especially (considering) the whole game was physical—they were letting a lot of contact go…It really is a shame that it had to end on that note.”

With the Hokies continuing to struggle in the second half, the Salukis would take their lead from eight to 15 points. The Southern Illinois lead would remain in the double digits throughout much of the second half thanks in large part to 63.6-percent thee-point shooting by SIU during the period. 

Tech would attempt to full-court press its way back into the ball game, but was unable to do so for the second straight game.

“We play against teams that press in our league…so we’ve been prepared for that,” said Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery. “We have very good guards, so…we felt confident that, if they did press, we were going to break it, and if they did press we were going to make them pay for it, or make them foul us.” 

The things that plagued the Hokies in the first half continued to do so in the second. Tech was still unable to consistently make shots from anywhere and could not win either the turnover or rebounding battle.

“I think we did a good job kicking the ball out, penetrating and kicking,” said Zabian Dowdell, who finished his Tech career with seven point and four rebounds.
“We just didn’t make enough shots, (and) that’s pretty much what it came down to.”

Interestingly, Tech’s two-game tournament point total was 102, less than the 121 put up by the University of Tennessee Volunteers in their first round win over the Long Beach State 49ers. 

Numbers aside, the loss marks the last games in the collegiate careers of Tech’s five seniors.

“I just told our seniors that when they arrived four years ago there was no culture, there was no ownership, there was no passion—the program was void of a personality,” Greenberg said. “Four years later there’s ownership, there’s passion, there’s expectation and they created that. They set a standard now that others will have to live up to…and for that I’m genuinely grateful to have had an opportunity to coach these kids.” 

It’s not just Greenberg that is likely disappointed. Hokie fans will have to wave goodbye to one of the school’s best-ever backcourts. Jamon Gordon and Dowdell were both four-year starters.

“I’ve got a lot of great memories…It’s just hard to believe that it’s over,” said Gordon, who scored a team-high 16 points while snagging eight rebounds. “It’s hard to believe it’s the last time we’re going to put on this uniform together, as one…It’s just hard to believe I won’t be playing with him anymore.”