Southern Illinois University
8-10 (2-3MVC)
Loyola
12-6 (3-1MVC)
SIU falls at Loyola, 64-48
01/16/2020 | 10:19:00 | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO, Ill. -Â The Loyola men's basketball team went on an 11-0 run midway through the second half to put away SIU on Thursday night at Gentile Arena en route to a 64-48 win.
"Give all the credit to Loyola," SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "They executed well offensively and defensively. I thought we played well in the first half. In the second half, we have to do a better job executing, especially on the road. That's been our achilles heel this year."
The Salukis (8-10, 2-3 MVC) were double-digit underdogs against the MVC's two-time defending champs. But the Salukis hung in there for the game's first 30 minutes and trailed by just 5 at halftime, 31-26.Â
The Salukis got within 40-36 with 13:45 to play, but Loyola (12-6, 4-1 MVC) held SIU without a field goal for the next eight minutes and grew their lead to 15. In that eight-minute draught, SIU went 0-for-4 from the 3-point line. For the game, the Salukis were 5-for-26 from deep.
"I thought we got decent looks from 3, and we knew we were going to have to hit some 3's to come out of here with a win because of how well Loyola protects the paint and how well Krutwig does with ball screens," Mullins said. "For the most part, we got good looks; we just weren't able to make them."
The game was a homecoming for Mullins, who helped grow the program as an assistant coach at Loyola under Porter Moser for the past six seasons. Tonight, the established Loyola program was too much for a shorthanded SIU team that only dressed nine scholarship players. Loyola held SIU to 35% shooting and a season-low 48 points.Â
Defensively, SIU focused on Loyola All-Conference center Cameron Krutwig. The Salukis held Krutwig scoreless for most of the first half, but Marquise Kennedy (17 points), Tate Hall (16), and Keith Clemons (13) combined to go 5-for-9 from the 3-point line. Krutwig had 5 assists from his center spot to go along with 8 points and 8 rebounds.
"They got some 3's because we focused on him so much," Mullins said of Krutwig. "He's a dominant player in this league, and you have to pick and choose what you're willing to give up."
Eric McGill led SIU with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting.Â
"Eric played really hard. He played downhill all night," Mullins said. "He was aggressive and played with confidence."
Marcus Domask was a rebound shy of his second-straight double-double, finishing with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Ronnie Suggs Jr. added 9 points, and SIU committed a season-low 7 turnovers.Â
UP NEXT: SIU hosts Drake on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Banterra Center. Â
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