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Southern Illinois meets Creighton in Missouri Valley final

Mar 4, 2007 - 5:21 PM Creighton (21-10) at No. 11 Southern Illinois (25-7) 2:05 pm EST

CARBONDALE, Illinois (Ticker) -- Southern Illinois can accomplish so much with just one more win.

The 11th-ranked Salukis aim for their second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference tournament title Sunday when they face Creighton in the conference tournament final.

Southern Illinois (25-7) has won 13 straight contests and can tie the school's single-season victory record set in 2001-02, when it reached the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

With a win, the Salukis would become the first school to win the MVC regular season and tournament crowns since Illinois State in 1998.

The Salukis advanced to the final with Saturday's 53-51 triumph over Bradley. Conference Player of the Year Jamaal Tatum scored 20 points and made four 3-pointers while Matt Shaw made a follow shot with 3.2 seconds remaining to finish with 11 points.

Creighton (21-10) is looking for its first conference tournament title since 2005 and its sixth in the last nine years.

The Bluejays posted a 75-58 victory over Missouri State in Saturday's other semifinal. Nate Funk scored a season-high 33 points and Nick Porter added 19 with for Creighton.

Southern Illinois won both meetings against Creighton in the regular season by a combined total of five points. After a one-point victory January 20, the Salukis recorded a 72-68 triumph February 10.