Saint Mary's reward for winning its first game away from home was a spot in the Top 25 for the first time in 18 years. The 24th-ranked Gaels now try to win their first true road game on Tuesday night in a difficult locale as they face Southern Illinois in a clash of mid-major powers.

After winning its first six games at home - highlighted by a 99-87 victory over then-No. 12 Oregon on Nov. 20 - Saint Mary's (7-0) posted a 69-64 win over San Diego State in the first game of the John Wooden Classic at Anaheim, Calif. Tron Smith scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half for the Gaels, who entered the AP Top 25 for the first time since the final three weeks of the 1988-89 season.

"It's nice. It's good for our program, good for our league," said Gaels coach Randy Bennett, whose team will likely battle No. 19 Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference title throughout the season. "It's a positive reward for a month in the season. It doesn't matter for the long-term, but at this point in the season it shows our guys are playing well."

Diamon Simpson added 13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for his third double-double this season and 10th of his career. The junior forward has averaged 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds his last four games.

Australian freshman point guard Patrick Mills hit four 3-pointers and added 15 points in Saturday's victory. He's averaging a team-high 16.1 points.

Saint Mary's - one of 15 undefeated teams left in Division I - is off to its best start since opening 1988-89 with nine wins.

While the Gaels have emerged as a top team among the mid-majors, the Salukis (3-3) have struggled to meet expectations after returning three starters from a team that reached the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament last season.

Southern Illinois has lost three straight since a 3-0 start, and its struggling offense has caused problems for its highly regarded defense. The Salukis are shooting just 34.1 percent during their losing streak - including 20.0 percent from 3-point range - averaging only 50.7 points and allowing 68.3 per contest.

Overall, the Salukis are giving up an average of 60.5 points per game, but Chris Lowery's team gave up a season high in Saturday's 71-56 loss at Charlotte. Southern Illinois endured a brutal 10-minute stretch in the first half in which it missed 12 straight shots and committed seven turnovers.

"I thought we did a good job of holding them down, but when we don't get points out of our stops." Lowery told the team's official Web site. "(The shots) are wide open, and you've got to make them. Right now, our confidence level is not where it needs to be."

The Salukis have been in the top four in scoring defense the past two seasons but are currently 15th. The losing streak represents their worst three-game defensive stretch since allowing an average of 74.7 points en route to a seventh-place finish in the 2005 Great Alaska Shootout.

The skid is also their longest since ending the 1996-97 season with seven consecutive losses to finish 13-17.

Southern Illinois is 80-4 at home since the start of the 2001-02 season, but one of those losses came to then-No. 15 Indiana on Dec. 1.

Senior forward Randal Falker had 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Salukis won 66-61 at Saint Mary's last season. Simpson had 13 and nine rebounds for the Gaels, who are 1-4 all-time versus Southern Illinois.