CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Aaron Cook hit three 3-pointers and finished with 20 points and Kavion Pippen had 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks to help Southern Illinois hold on for a 69-64 win over Division II Illinois-Springfield on Saturday night.
Eric McGill added 13 points and Jonathan Wiley scored nine with eight rebounds for Southern Illinois (2-0).
Vince Walker and Eddie Longmeyer hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Illinois-Springfield its only lead, 58-57, with 3:15 to play. McGill answered with a 3 to spark a 9-2 run that made it 66-60 on a dunk by Cook with 36 seconds left and the Salukis held on from there.