Troy Long made the most of SIC's lone 3-point field goal, sinking it as time expired to snatch a victory from the collective grasp of homestanding Rend Lake.
After a defensive stop with about 14 seconds remaining in regulation and facing a two-point deficit, Southeastern Illinois College was able to push the ball up the middle of the court, break down the defense and find Long for an open look.
One of the team's most accurate eyes from behind the line, Long scored nine points in total as he relied on his pull-up jumper before burying Rend Lake with the last-second trifecta. While Rend Lake connected on nine of its 3-point attempts, Long's lone attempt from beyond the arc represented the only 3-pointer SIC made in the entire game.
Head coach Todd Franklin said the tightly contested game was worth the price of admission, especially with his team snapping a recent three-game skid.
"It didn't go our way last game, but it went our way this time. It sure feels better when it does," Franklin said. "It was one of those kinds of nights when we played good defense on a couple possessions and they still hit tough shots. Hopefully it will get the monkey off our back a little bit."
SIC and Rend Lake were tied at 36-36 at the intermission, but the hosts would take an eight point lead midway through the second half.
Will Kirksey scored 19 points to pace the Falcons (13-8) and Corey Jackson scored 10 of his 16 points in the final 10 minutes of play.
"We've been waiting for him to shake loose," Franklin said of Jackson. "He has a lot of game in him and we would have lost that game had he not played well."
Mamadou Seck chipped in with 14 and Isaac McClure put in 10.
Franklin said while Luke Morgan did not make a dent in the scorebook, his play throughout the game helped rejuvenate the Falcons. The SIC head coach said Morgan provided the team with energy, attitude and a spark that helped push the team to a much-needed win.
The Falcons hope to capitalize on the victory as it travels to Wabash on Saturday to close out their brief three-game road swing. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m.
