Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Photo by Jeff Helmkamp
EDWARDSVILLE -- All season long, Tre’ Harris has been a sparkplug off the bench for the SIUE men’s basketball team.
The former Edwardsville High standout played all nine games off the bench and he’s the Cougars’ leading scorer at 13.1 points per game.
“He’s been a good guy for us,” SIUE coach Jon Harris said. “He’s a guy who’s capable of scoring. He can do a lot of things.”
Harris finished with 12 points off the bench in the Cougars’ 80-72 loss to Stetson on Wednesday at the Vadalabene Center. He scored 10 in the second half.
But the SIUE redshirt sophomore struggled from the floor and at the free-throw line. He was 3 for 16 from the floor and 4 for 9 from the charity stripe. He missed his first seven shots before hitting a 3-pointer with 14:20 left in the second half.
“Obviously, he didn’t shoot the ball well tonight and that was uncharacteristic for him,” Jon Harris said. “But he’ll be back in the gym tomorrow and he’ll come back Saturday ready to go. He’s a guy who gives a threat for us, so it’s nice to have coming off the bench.”
Harris scored in double figures for the seventh time this season. He scored 24 in a home game against SIU Carbondale last month.
But Harris’ effort didn’t help the Cougars climb over the .500 mark. SIUE (4-5) has lost five of its last six games after starting off 2-0.
“It was tough,” SIUE sophomore and Alton grad Carlos Anderson said. “We didn’t come out with the energy we needed.”
The Cougars committed eight of their 11 turnovers in the first half. Stetson scored nine points off of those turnovers and took a 37-20 lead at halftime.
“That was the same problem we had in Indiana,” Jon Harris said. “We were down 22 or 23 at halftime and they scored 16 points off turnovers. We came out in the second half and didn’t really turn the ball over as much. It was the same thing tonight. We talk about ball control and you have to make better decisions with the ball. They weren’t forced turnovers, but it was a lack of focus and making poor decisions with the basketball. We definitely have to clean it up.”
SIUE made just 56 percent (23 of 41) of its free throws. The team was 7 for 16 from the charity stripe in the opening half. The Cougars shot 25 percent (6 for 24 in the first half and 38 percent (23 for 60) in the game.
“I think our effort, our focus and our intensity to start the game was the difference in the game,” Harris said “We probably won’t shoot the ball like that again ever.”
The Cougars will look to bounce back at 2 p.m. Saturday with a home game against Missouri Western, which is an NCAA Division II school in St. Joseph, Mo.
“Saturday is like a game to avenge ourselves,” Anderson said.
Harris said he hopes his team finishes strong this season. The Cougars were 6-22 last season.
“We expect to win ballgames,” the SIUE coach said. “Every time we lace them up, we expect to win a game. That’s something we have to continue to push and move forward.”
SIUE played its third home game of the season on Wednesday. The Cougars started their home season on Nov. 18 by giving up a season-high 101 points to SIU Carbondale. They beat IUPUI 61-58 at the Vadalabene Center eight days later.
SIUE played its last two games on the road, beating Grand Canyon on Nov. 28 and losing to Indiana on Dec. 2.
The Cougars played Stetson, located in DeLand, Fla., for just the second time in their 50-year program history. The Hatters beat SIUE 93-81 in the last meeting in December 1979.
“Scheduling is kind of a unique beast,” Harris said. “It’s hard to get home games, so we’re fortunate to have them come in here. Unfortunately, we didn’t take care of business.”
Stetson had four players in double figures and improved to 5-6.
“Their coach is a good guy,” Harris said. “Hopefully, he can finish the year right way and continue to get their program off the ground.”
Jalen Henry, a junior from Springfield, was the other SIUE player in double figures, scoring a game-high 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
“He was one guy who was really good from start to finish,” Harris said. “Jalen is a guy who is capable on both ends. He’s got all of the tools. He can score inside and he can score outside and he can handle. He should be a really good rebounder and it all came ahead for him tonight. I just hate that the other guys didn’t come with him from start to finish.”
Anderson finished with four points. He scored a pair of baskets in the second half.