The 2012 Missouri Valley Conference tournament got underway on Thursday night with a matchup of the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds -- Indiana State and Southern Illinois, respectively. The Sycamores have had the upper hand so far, and they've taken a 30-23 lead into the break. The winner of this game gets to play top-seeded Wichita State on Friday .
Related: Missouri Valley Tournament 2012: Wichita State, Creighton Are Clear Favorites
The Salukis shot just 26% overall in the first half, and 14% from beyond the arc. Indiana State shot 44.8% overall and 50% from three.
In addition to the poor shooting, Southern Illinois is also -4 in the turnover department, but the Salukis hit 10-of-11 free throws to help keep themselves in the game.
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