St. Louis ? After leading his team to the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference title and the top seed in the conference tournament, Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery was named MVC coach of the year.

It marked the second time in three seasons that Lowery, 34, has won the honor. The Salukis (25-5, 15-3 in the MVC) are ranked 11th, the highest-ever ranking for the Carbondale-based university.