NCAA Tournament Scores: Southern Illinois Buries Virginia Tech with Three-Pointers to Advance

The number four seeded Southern Illinois Salukis hit 57 percent of their three-pointers to beat the number five seeded Virginia Tech Hokies 63-48 and advance to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.

While the Salukis hit 12 of 21 from beyond the arc the Hokies could never dial in from deep. Virginia Tech finished just 2-13 from that distance and never really challenged the Salukis in the second half.

Southern Illinois trailed 18-15 with 5:56 remaining in the opening half but then went on a 7-0 run and never trailed again. The Salukis closed the first half with a 28-20 lead and opened the second with a three-pointer from Jamaal Tatum, signaling what was ahead for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech would cut the lead to seven but the Salukis would answer with a triple, Virginia Tech would get back to within eight but the Salukis would hit another three-pointer. The sharp shooting attack of Southern Illinois was just too much for the Hokies to handle.

Tatum finished with 21 points for the Salukis, 18 of those points came from six of nine shooting from beyond the arc. Randal Falker added 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win and Southern Illinois will now face the winner of the Kansas/Kentucky game in the Sweet Sixteen.

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