Tuesday, October 22
Carbondale, Ill.
7:00 PM
Southern Illinois University
0-0,0-0MVC
56
vs
41
Minnesota State
0-0,0-0NSIC
1
2
F
Minnesota St.
18
23
41
Southern Ill.
17
39
56
Salukis clamp down Minnesota State in exhibition
10/22/2019 | 9:34:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois men's basketball team started rolling in the second half of a 56-41 win over Minnesota State in an exhibition game on Tuesday night at Banterra Center. SIU limited the Mavericks to 26.6 percent shooting for the game.
SIU struggled offensively in the first half and trailed at halftime, 18-17. Minnesota State led by as many as four early in the second half, but SIU responded with seven-straight stops on the defensive end to spark a 12-0 run and never looked back.
"I was really pleased with our guys' effort for 40 minutes," first-year SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "That's a very good team, Minnesota State. They go to the NCAA Tournament every single year. They're picked to win their league this year. Our defense and valuing the ball helped us win this game. We tried to play the right way; we missed layups and post ups. We only took 12 3-pointers. We weren't jacking up a bunch of contested 3's or bad shots. We as coaches need to do a better job of putting them in position to score better. But in terms of defensive intensity and focus over 40 minutes, I didn't think there were many breakdowns. That stretch in the second half when we got going a little bit, we created offense from our defense. That has to be an identity for us going forward."
SIU's defense was particularly impressive against a high-scoring Minnesota State team. The Mavericks averaged 80 points per game last year and earned an at-large bid to the Division II NCAA Tournament. They return Cameron Kirksey, who is the preseason conference player of the year after averaging 18 points per game last season. SIU held Kirksey to 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting, and it held the Mavericks to their lowest point total since the 1980-81 season.
Minnesota State got 18 offensive rebounds and turned them into 18 second-chance points, but the Salukis limited the Mavericks to 10-for-50 shooting (20 percent) and 23 total points on first looks. Southern only committed nine turnovers and limited MSU to just two fast-break points.
Saluki freshman Marcus Domask and senior Eric McGill each scored 17 points to lead all scorers. Domask was an efficient 7-for-11 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double.
"I was nervous throughout the whole day. I didn't sleep well last night," Domask said after his first collegiate game. "It was nerve-wracking to see the crowd. Then, to score the first hoop, it went away right there. I know I can play at this level. From there on, I just needed to play my game."
SIU is back in action in two weeks, hosting Illinois Wesleyan at Banterra Center for the regular season opener on November 5.
SIU struggled offensively in the first half and trailed at halftime, 18-17. Minnesota State led by as many as four early in the second half, but SIU responded with seven-straight stops on the defensive end to spark a 12-0 run and never looked back.
"I was really pleased with our guys' effort for 40 minutes," first-year SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "That's a very good team, Minnesota State. They go to the NCAA Tournament every single year. They're picked to win their league this year. Our defense and valuing the ball helped us win this game. We tried to play the right way; we missed layups and post ups. We only took 12 3-pointers. We weren't jacking up a bunch of contested 3's or bad shots. We as coaches need to do a better job of putting them in position to score better. But in terms of defensive intensity and focus over 40 minutes, I didn't think there were many breakdowns. That stretch in the second half when we got going a little bit, we created offense from our defense. That has to be an identity for us going forward."
SIU's defense was particularly impressive against a high-scoring Minnesota State team. The Mavericks averaged 80 points per game last year and earned an at-large bid to the Division II NCAA Tournament. They return Cameron Kirksey, who is the preseason conference player of the year after averaging 18 points per game last season. SIU held Kirksey to 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting, and it held the Mavericks to their lowest point total since the 1980-81 season.
Minnesota State got 18 offensive rebounds and turned them into 18 second-chance points, but the Salukis limited the Mavericks to 10-for-50 shooting (20 percent) and 23 total points on first looks. Southern only committed nine turnovers and limited MSU to just two fast-break points.
Saluki freshman Marcus Domask and senior Eric McGill each scored 17 points to lead all scorers. Domask was an efficient 7-for-11 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double.
"I was nervous throughout the whole day. I didn't sleep well last night," Domask said after his first collegiate game. "It was nerve-wracking to see the crowd. Then, to score the first hoop, it went away right there. I know I can play at this level. From there on, I just needed to play my game."
SIU is back in action in two weeks, hosting Illinois Wesleyan at Banterra Center for the regular season opener on November 5.
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Team Stats
MSU
SIU
FG%
.266
.382
3FG%
.161
.167
FT%
.400
.750
RB
41
41
TO
16
9
STL
2
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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