CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois was inspired offensively by coach Barry Hinsons return to the bench following a death in the family, and the Salukis shot 54 per cent. It wasnt nearly good enough against No. 8 Wichita State. Fred VanVleet had 17 points, seven assists, two steals and no turnovers and the Shockers remained unbeaten behind 62 per cent shooting, opening Missouri Valley Conference play with an 82-67 victory Thursday night. "Were glad to get out of here with a win," coach Gregg Marshall said. "I knew that with everything thats been going on with Coach Hinson, the way the team had rallied around him and then with the tragedy with his family, we were honestly afraid that this team would pull out something special." Hinson returned after missing one game due to the death of his son-in-law, 31-year-old Niles Thomason, on Christmas while visiting family. In an emotional postgame news conference, the usually fiery coach blamed himself for the loss, saying he just wasnt up to it. He also pointed out that Wichita State was very, very good and coming off a Final Four appearance, and said the key to game was the "the little stinker VanVleet." Last month after a loss at Murray State, Hinson called players "mamas boys," then later apologized for singling out a player for criticism. "Tonight, I dont mind telling you Im going to point the finger at me," Hinson said, his voice halting at times. "When youre 52 years old, you ought to be mature enough to at least figure out how to fake it, and get your guys energized. "And I couldnt do that, so I take full responsibility." Hinson said the death hit him hard on New Years Eve. "The biggest thing that bothers me is Im a basketball coach and Im a father and we fix things," Hinson said. "And I cant, I cant, fix this." Cleanthony Early scored 23 points for the Shockers (14-0, 1-0), the preseason conference favourites. The 14-0 start is five wins better than the schools previous best and the 14-game winning streak matches the school mark set in 1953-54 under coach Ralph Miller. "Like Coach says, its easy to get a good look every time when youre setting yourself up," Early said. "Its easy to fall in love with just trying to score every time when you get a big lead like that but we stayed patient and stayed focused." Sean OBrien and Desmar Jackson had 19 points apiece for Southern Illinois (4-10, 0-1), which upset Wichita State at home last February the week after the Shockers had been knocked out of the Top 25. "This group plays a little smarter than that group at times," Marshall said. "It starts with Fred." Nick Wiggins added 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting for Wichita State. Southern Illinois was out of it early despite its strong shooting. OBrien topped his previous career best of 11 points. Wichita State shot 59 per cent to go with a 16-8 rebounding advantage and near error-free play while building a 49-32 halftime lead, committing its lone turnover with about 3 minutes to go. The Shockers got contributions across the board with an 18-0 run over a span of 3:19 that made it 33-16 with just over 8 minutes to go. Darius Carter opened the run with consecutive baskets and the Shockers got three-point plays from Early and VanVleet plus 3-pointers by Wiggins and VanVleet. Late in the half, Cotton and Early got behind the Southern Illinois defence on consecutive possessions in transition. The Shockers are 30-8 on the road the last three seasons, best in the nation. Stitched USWNT Jerseys . Philbin said Thursday he wants players to treat one another with civility and he wont tolerate anything less. In taking questions for the first time since Ted Wells released his report into the bullying scandal that rocked the league, Philbin made it clear things would be cleaned up. USWNT Pro Shop . -- Adrian Peterson takes a look around the league and sees big money flying everywhere. https://www.cheapuswnt.com/ .One day after winning her record 63rd World Cup race, Vonn posted to her Facebook account Tuesday that she was happy Woods surprised her by coming to the race, and that she felt terrible that his tooth got knocked out. USWNT Jerseys 2020 .com) - Even on the day his New Hampshire football team became the nations top-ranked team two weeks ago, coach Sean McDonnell conceded something about the team they replaced at No. USWNT Jerseys 2021 . - Suspended Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon has voluntarily checked into a treatment facility and seems to be doing well.SAN FRANCISCO -- Frank Gore saw a huge hole with the clock ticking down and his team trailing, and went for it with everything he had. Maybe not a season-saving 51-yard burst, but darn close to it. The San Francisco 49ers are far from ready to hand over their two-year division reign -- and certainly not on their home field, where they rarely lose against the NFC West. Phil Dawson kicked a 22-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining and the Niners held off the Seahawks 19-17 on Sunday, denying Seattle a chance to clinch the division at Candlestick Park. "Were playing for our lives," wideout Anquan Boldin said. "Were playing playoff football right now. Its win or go home." Gore broke for his big gain with just more than four minutes left, sparking the key 11-play, 76-yard drive that helped the 49ers (9-4) stop the playoff-bound Seahawks (11-2) from grabbing away the West in San Francisco. Dawsons fourth field goal gave him 20 successful attempts in a row, a franchise record topping Joe Nedneys 18 consecutive kicks in 2006-07. Russell Wilson threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Luke Willson and Marshawn Lynch ran for an 11-yard score for Seattle, denied a franchise-best sixth road victory in its fifth straight loss at The Stick. "I dont know if it was their Super Bowl, but they played a great game," Seahawks defensive end Red Bryant said. The 49ers are unbeaten at home against the West since losing to the Seahawks on Oct. 26, 2008. In an emotionally fueled afternoon of missed chances and costly penalties, this rivalry game more than lived up to the hype. "Enjoy it? Not the word I would use. Its like going to the dentist chair for 3 1/2 hours and getting a root canal," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. "These games are only for the tough." Eric Wright, who briefly left the game with a head injury, intercepted a last-ditch deep pass by Wilson with 9 seconds left to seal it. The two young quarterbacks finished with nearly the same stats. Wilson went 15 of 25 for 199 yards and a touchdown with one interception, while counterpart Colin Kaepernick threw for 175 yards and completed 15 of his 29 passes with a TD and an interception. Vernon Davis caught an 8-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to give San Francisco some momentum. After a home rout of New Orleans on Monday night, the Seahawks were trying too make it two mammoth wins over NFC powers in seven days.dddddddddddd They hurt themselves several times down the stretch. Golden Tate helped put the Seahawks ahead midway through the fourth quarter with a 38-yard punt return. Wilson then hit Jermaine Kearse for a 14-yard gain and first down from the 24. But on third down from the 13, Wilson was forced to throw out of bounds under pressure. Seattle settled for Steven Hauschkas 31-yard field goal that stayed just inside the left upright with 6:20 remaining. While Lynch went over 1,000 yards rushing for the third straight season and fifth in his seven-year career, he slowed down in the second half. He wound up with 72 yards on 20 carries -- just 22 yards in the second half -- as the 49ers defence kept intact its streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher this season. "Its December and were playing our best football," linebacker NaVorro Bowman said. "Theres something about this game that required a full 60 minutes of football." Kaepernick recovered from an interception late in the third quarter with the 49ers deep in Seattle territory. Momentarily helped by Donte Whitners 15-yard taunting penalty against Lynch, it came right back three plays later on Michael Robinsons facemask flag and Seattle punted. With LaMichael James catching the punt, OBrien Schofield bumped James and received a 15-yard fair catch interference penalty. That started San Franciscos drive at the 48 but the 49ers went three and out. The Seahawks had won seven in a row since an Oct. 6 loss at Indianapolis. They also had taken their last two meetings with the 49ers, both at home, by outscoring San Francisco 71-16 -- 29-3 in Week 2. Boldin had six catches for 93 yards for his fourth straight game with at least five receptions. Now, the Niners realize they probably will have to make another trip to the Pacific Northwest and get by the Seahawks to return to the Super Bowl. "If we keep doing our thing and they keep doing their thing, no question," Gore said. NOTES: Seattle coach Pete Carroll expects LB K.J. Wright to miss six weeks with a broken bone in his foot. ... The 49ers didnt target CB Richard Sherman until 9:44 remaining in the second quarter and the incompletion still drew a 5-yard holding penalty and automatic first down. ... Seahawks C Max Unger sustained a second-half chest injury. ' ' '