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Fans flock to NYC to support Salukis

By Todd Hefferman, The Southern

Friday, November 21, 2008 11:24 PM CST

NEW YORK - The economy isn't too bad, according to Harrisburg resident Jeff Denny.

Denny, 48, and about 10 other Harrisburg residents made it to New York City's Madison Square Garden for Thursday and Friday's 2K Sports Classic. Southern Illinois University's men's basketball team had a contingent of about 30 or 40 fans both nights, but came away empty-handed.

Tenth-ranked Duke and fourth-ranked UCLA handed the Salukis their first losses of the season in double-digit fashion. Denny, the owner of Southern Illinois Ready Mix in Marion, still enjoyed watching the team in the dead of winter.

"It's a great experience for that team just to get here," he said.

Denny came to New York with his wife, Lori, and daughter and son-in-law, Tara and Nathan Taylor. The Taylors graduated from SIU, and blended in nicely in the maroon clad just south of the Section 102 sign at the Garden.

New York City was not a new place for the Dennys. They came to the city about a month ago on vacation.

SIU needed a 15-point rally against Massachusetts at SIU Arena last week to earn its place at the Affinia Manhattan, located almost directly across the street from "The World's Greatest Arena."

Evans plays big: Carbondale High School grad Nick Evans played 15 minutes against UCLA on Friday night.

The 6-foot-11 redshirt freshman center took a nasty tumble in the second half going for a rebound, but walked off the court. Evans appeared to land directly on his back when he went for a rebound on the right side of the hoop. He finished with four points and a rebound before fouling out for the second time this week.

Bench spark: Freshman Ryan Hare nearly doubled his season point total Friday night, scoring nine in 26 minutes off the bench.

Hare, a 6-4 guard, hit 3 of 5 from the field, both his free-throw attempts, and grabbed four rebounds.

Kevin Dillard, who started Friday night, was named to the 2K Sports Classic All-Tournament Team after scoring 14 points.

todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com / 351-5087