Wednesday, February 5
Evansville, Ind.
6 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
14-10,8-3MVC
64
at
60
Evansville
9-15,0-11MVC
1
2
OT 1
F
Southern Ill.
24
30
10
64
Evansville
22
32
6
60
SIU take down Evansville in OT, win sixth-straight
02/05/2020 | 8:25:00 | Men's Basketball
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Lance Jones scored 8 of his 15 points in overtime to lead the SIU men's basketball team to a 64-60 win over Evansville on Wednesday night at the Ford Center. The Salukis won their sixth-straight MVC game, the program's longest conference winning streak since 2006-07.
"I'm extremely proud of our guys to fight for 45 minutes. It wasn't easy. It was ugly. It was a grind-it-out type game," SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "Give all the credit to Evansville. Coach (Todd) Lickliter has done an amazing job in a short amount of time. You can tell how much better they've been in just a couple weeks. They're going to win games in this league. They're a tough team. For us, to be able to pull out a road win was huge for our guys. It was tough, but our guys never had their heads down. Every huddle, our guys were saying, 'We're going to win this game.' I was really proud of the message that was going on inside the guys' heads throughout the huddle."
SIU (14-10, 8-3 MVC) led nearly the entire game, but Evansville (9-15, 0-11 MVC) would never let the Salukis take a double-digit lead. SIU had a two-point lead at halftime, 24-22. In the second half, SIU would extend the lead pounding the ball inside to Marcus Domask, who had 13 of his 22 points in the second half. Evansville would tighten the game back up with KJ Riley, who scored 22 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and overtime.
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Watch » Inside The Locker Room | Highlights
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Then, at the end of regulation, the Aces made a furious rally to force overtime. SIU led by 4 with less than 30 seconds to go. SIU fouled on the inbounds pass, and Riley hit both free throws to get within 2. Riley then got a steal before SIU could pass half court, giving the Aces a chance to tie it or even win it with a 3-pointer. Riley missed his first attempt but got an offensive rebound and a layup to tie the game with 5 seconds left.
"We have to learn from it, and I love learning from winning," Mullins said of the end of regulation. "But we have to be able to execute better."
With all the momentum, Evansville looked like it might win its first MVC game when it scored first in overtime to take its first lead since early in the first half. SIU's Barret Benson tied it, but Evansville grabbed another lead when Riley went 1-of-2 at the free throw line. SIU had a couple empty possessions, but also got a couple stops to keep Evansville's lead at just 1.
From there, freshman Lance Jones won the game for SIU. He drew a foul, hit the layup and hit the free throw to put SIU up 2. When Evansville responded with a 3-pointer to re-take the lead, Jones again made a driving layup. The Salukis made two more defensive stops, and Jones hit the free throws on the other end to give SIU its third-straight Valley road win.
"He's a winner," Mullins said of Jones. "He's a tough kid. He makes big plays. He never shies away from the moment. He stepped up and made huge free throws, too, so I'm really proud of Lance."
Evansville seems to be finding its groove during a tumultuous season that started with a win over No. 1 Kentucky in Rupp Arena. After head coach Walter McCarty was let go, the Aces played under an interim head coach before hiring former Butler and Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter, who was in his fifth game leading the program. The Aces have already shown growth under Lickliter, including a 52-point second half against UNI the last time they played before tonight. And the Aces nearly pulled off their first win under Lickliter against the MVC's hottest team, SIU, who extended the Valley's longest active winning streak to six games.
"Every game is like this, especially on the road. No game in this league is easy," Mullins said. "For us to be able to get a road win is huge. Now, we get to go home and play in the Banterra Center, and we have another huge game Saturday night."
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Listen » Mullins Postgame | Jones Postgame
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SIU is the Cinderella team of the MVC this season. The Salukis were picked last in the MVC preseason poll and endured a season-ending injury to star guard Aaron Cook. But since falling to 4-7 on the season, SIU is 10-3 and is in sole possession of second place in the MVC race, a game behind league-leading Northern Iowa. SIU's 8-3 Valley record is its best 11-game start to league play since 2006-07.
"We're not putting a ceiling on it," Mullins said. "We still have a lot of room to improve. We can play much better than we have, even these last couple games. That's what I'm excited about. I'm excited to get back to practice, work with these guys, and continue to improve."
UP NEXT: SIU hosts Missouri State at 7 p.m. on Saturday night at Banterra Center. SIU is offering a ticket special: tickets to all of the final four home games for only $40. Take advantage of the deal at SIUSalukis.com/tickets.
NOTES: SIU has won six-straight MVC games for the first time since 2006-07 ... SIU's 8-3 MVC record is its best through 11 Valley games since 2006-07 ... After starting the year 0-7 in true road games, SIU has won three-straight true road games ... SIU has won three-straight over Evansville. The Salukis are 4-1 in the last five games in the series and 5-2 in the last seven games ... During SIU's six-game MVC winning streak, four of the wins are over teams with a winning record in the league (Drake twice, Loyola and Northern Iowa) ... SIU scored a season-high 42 points in the paint ... SIU outrebounded Evansville by 8, SIU's second-biggest rebounding advantage this season ... Barret Benson had his second double-double of the season (14 points, 10 rebounds).
"I'm extremely proud of our guys to fight for 45 minutes. It wasn't easy. It was ugly. It was a grind-it-out type game," SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "Give all the credit to Evansville. Coach (Todd) Lickliter has done an amazing job in a short amount of time. You can tell how much better they've been in just a couple weeks. They're going to win games in this league. They're a tough team. For us, to be able to pull out a road win was huge for our guys. It was tough, but our guys never had their heads down. Every huddle, our guys were saying, 'We're going to win this game.' I was really proud of the message that was going on inside the guys' heads throughout the huddle."
SIU (14-10, 8-3 MVC) led nearly the entire game, but Evansville (9-15, 0-11 MVC) would never let the Salukis take a double-digit lead. SIU had a two-point lead at halftime, 24-22. In the second half, SIU would extend the lead pounding the ball inside to Marcus Domask, who had 13 of his 22 points in the second half. Evansville would tighten the game back up with KJ Riley, who scored 22 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and overtime.
---
Watch » Inside The Locker Room | Highlights
---
Then, at the end of regulation, the Aces made a furious rally to force overtime. SIU led by 4 with less than 30 seconds to go. SIU fouled on the inbounds pass, and Riley hit both free throws to get within 2. Riley then got a steal before SIU could pass half court, giving the Aces a chance to tie it or even win it with a 3-pointer. Riley missed his first attempt but got an offensive rebound and a layup to tie the game with 5 seconds left.
"We have to learn from it, and I love learning from winning," Mullins said of the end of regulation. "But we have to be able to execute better."
With all the momentum, Evansville looked like it might win its first MVC game when it scored first in overtime to take its first lead since early in the first half. SIU's Barret Benson tied it, but Evansville grabbed another lead when Riley went 1-of-2 at the free throw line. SIU had a couple empty possessions, but also got a couple stops to keep Evansville's lead at just 1.
From there, freshman Lance Jones won the game for SIU. He drew a foul, hit the layup and hit the free throw to put SIU up 2. When Evansville responded with a 3-pointer to re-take the lead, Jones again made a driving layup. The Salukis made two more defensive stops, and Jones hit the free throws on the other end to give SIU its third-straight Valley road win.
"He's a winner," Mullins said of Jones. "He's a tough kid. He makes big plays. He never shies away from the moment. He stepped up and made huge free throws, too, so I'm really proud of Lance."
Evansville seems to be finding its groove during a tumultuous season that started with a win over No. 1 Kentucky in Rupp Arena. After head coach Walter McCarty was let go, the Aces played under an interim head coach before hiring former Butler and Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter, who was in his fifth game leading the program. The Aces have already shown growth under Lickliter, including a 52-point second half against UNI the last time they played before tonight. And the Aces nearly pulled off their first win under Lickliter against the MVC's hottest team, SIU, who extended the Valley's longest active winning streak to six games.
"Every game is like this, especially on the road. No game in this league is easy," Mullins said. "For us to be able to get a road win is huge. Now, we get to go home and play in the Banterra Center, and we have another huge game Saturday night."
---
Listen » Mullins Postgame | Jones Postgame
---
SIU is the Cinderella team of the MVC this season. The Salukis were picked last in the MVC preseason poll and endured a season-ending injury to star guard Aaron Cook. But since falling to 4-7 on the season, SIU is 10-3 and is in sole possession of second place in the MVC race, a game behind league-leading Northern Iowa. SIU's 8-3 Valley record is its best 11-game start to league play since 2006-07.
"We're not putting a ceiling on it," Mullins said. "We still have a lot of room to improve. We can play much better than we have, even these last couple games. That's what I'm excited about. I'm excited to get back to practice, work with these guys, and continue to improve."
UP NEXT: SIU hosts Missouri State at 7 p.m. on Saturday night at Banterra Center. SIU is offering a ticket special: tickets to all of the final four home games for only $40. Take advantage of the deal at SIUSalukis.com/tickets.
NOTES: SIU has won six-straight MVC games for the first time since 2006-07 ... SIU's 8-3 MVC record is its best through 11 Valley games since 2006-07 ... After starting the year 0-7 in true road games, SIU has won three-straight true road games ... SIU has won three-straight over Evansville. The Salukis are 4-1 in the last five games in the series and 5-2 in the last seven games ... During SIU's six-game MVC winning streak, four of the wins are over teams with a winning record in the league (Drake twice, Loyola and Northern Iowa) ... SIU scored a season-high 42 points in the paint ... SIU outrebounded Evansville by 8, SIU's second-biggest rebounding advantage this season ... Barret Benson had his second double-double of the season (14 points, 10 rebounds).
Team Stats
SIU
Evans
FG%
.403
.361
3FG%
.250
.250
FT%
.706
.786
RB
44
36
TO
13
10
STL
4
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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