The SMS Bears fell 74-69 on the road to Southern Illinois. With the loss they’ve all but ended their chance of winning the conference title. The Bears trailed by eight points going into the locker room at half time They got no closer than four points in the second half. The Salukis’ Kent Williams, who SMS head coach Barry Hinson referred to as “Superman”, dropped 28 points on the Bears. Merrill Andrews scored 23 points to lead SMS. The Bears are 14-9 overall and 10-4 in conference play with four games remaining. They’re tied with Wichita St. for second place in the conference. The Salukis are tied for first with 17th ranked Creighton who also improved to 13-2 against Missouri Valley Conference foes.