Saturday, January 15
Carbondale, Ill.
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
9-7,2-2MVC
68
vs
69
Northern Iowa
9-7,5-1MVC
1
2
F
UNI
36
33
69
Southern Ill.
26
42
68
Northern Iowa slips past Men's Basketball, 69-68
01/15/2022 | 9:41:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to take a late lead, but Northern Iowa made five free throws in the final 20 seconds to pull out a 69-68 win at Banterra Center on Saturday night.
The Salukis (9-7, 2-2) were led by their stars — as Marcus Domask had 23 points and Lance Jones added 20 — but several missed free throws and empty possessions late in the game were the difference in the outcome.
"That's what the Valley is, these close games," said SIU head coach Bryan Mullins. "You have to be rock-solid the last four minutes when it's a close game."
Domask made clutch shots to bring Southern back, including a 3-pointer with 5:52 remaining that tied the game, 55-55, capping a 10-2 Saluki run. He was 8-of-12 from the field in 38 minutes against a physical UNI defense.
"Marcus was a warrior," Mullins said. "We really went to him in the second half to establish that inside presence and get some paint touches through him. He's consistently been playing at a high level now."
SIU took its first lead, 58-57, when Jones buried a three on the team's next possession, creating a deafening roar through the arena from the 4,690 fans on hand.
"The fans rallying behind us gives you that extra motivation and we just hit shots and got stops during that run," Domask said.
UNI's Noah Carter immediately quieted the crowd with a short jumper in the paint to put his team back in front, 59-58, with 4:39 to go. He was a difference-maker for the Panthers with 17 points and seven rebounds.
It was mostly a one-possession game the rest of the way, and the Dawgs couldn't capitalize on their opportunities. Jones missed the front end of a 1-and-1 on one possession, and Domask split a pair on the next.
Down, 64-61, Southern had two open looks to tie the game in the final 30 seconds, but Dalton Banks and Ben Coupet Jr. both missed.
"We still had chances to win," Mullins said. "We had to exert a lot of energy (during the comeback), but we just have to execute those last couple minutes and try to get the shots we want."
Southern's defensive effort looked good on paper — holding MVC Player of the Year AJ Green to 4-of-12 shooting from the field and limiting the Panthers to 6-of-22 from outside the arc.
"I thought the guys came out with the right mindset in the second half," Mullins said. "We guarded as well as you can guard a Northern Iowa team that plays five guards, and you hold them to 33 percent from the field and 18 percent from three (in the second half), so I'm proud of our guys."
SIU scored just 26 points in the first half and 42 in the second half, prompting Mullins to say he felt his team "played 20 good minutes."
"The first half I didn't think the ball moved as well as it needed to move," he explained. "When we move the ball and get paint touches, and everyone's touching it and sharing it, that's when we're at our best. We have a bunch of guys who can score and create for each other. We just have to pass up a good shot to get a great shot."
The Salukis have two more home games next week with Drake on Monday and Indiana State on Wednesday.
"We have to bounce back, get right back to it tomorrow and be ready to defend our home court on Monday night," Mullins said. "It's a huge game for us."
The Salukis (9-7, 2-2) were led by their stars — as Marcus Domask had 23 points and Lance Jones added 20 — but several missed free throws and empty possessions late in the game were the difference in the outcome.
"That's what the Valley is, these close games," said SIU head coach Bryan Mullins. "You have to be rock-solid the last four minutes when it's a close game."
Domask made clutch shots to bring Southern back, including a 3-pointer with 5:52 remaining that tied the game, 55-55, capping a 10-2 Saluki run. He was 8-of-12 from the field in 38 minutes against a physical UNI defense.
"Marcus was a warrior," Mullins said. "We really went to him in the second half to establish that inside presence and get some paint touches through him. He's consistently been playing at a high level now."
SIU took its first lead, 58-57, when Jones buried a three on the team's next possession, creating a deafening roar through the arena from the 4,690 fans on hand.
"The fans rallying behind us gives you that extra motivation and we just hit shots and got stops during that run," Domask said.
UNI's Noah Carter immediately quieted the crowd with a short jumper in the paint to put his team back in front, 59-58, with 4:39 to go. He was a difference-maker for the Panthers with 17 points and seven rebounds.
It was mostly a one-possession game the rest of the way, and the Dawgs couldn't capitalize on their opportunities. Jones missed the front end of a 1-and-1 on one possession, and Domask split a pair on the next.
Down, 64-61, Southern had two open looks to tie the game in the final 30 seconds, but Dalton Banks and Ben Coupet Jr. both missed.
"We still had chances to win," Mullins said. "We had to exert a lot of energy (during the comeback), but we just have to execute those last couple minutes and try to get the shots we want."
Southern's defensive effort looked good on paper — holding MVC Player of the Year AJ Green to 4-of-12 shooting from the field and limiting the Panthers to 6-of-22 from outside the arc.
"I thought the guys came out with the right mindset in the second half," Mullins said. "We guarded as well as you can guard a Northern Iowa team that plays five guards, and you hold them to 33 percent from the field and 18 percent from three (in the second half), so I'm proud of our guys."
SIU scored just 26 points in the first half and 42 in the second half, prompting Mullins to say he felt his team "played 20 good minutes."
"The first half I didn't think the ball moved as well as it needed to move," he explained. "When we move the ball and get paint touches, and everyone's touching it and sharing it, that's when we're at our best. We have a bunch of guys who can score and create for each other. We just have to pass up a good shot to get a great shot."
The Salukis have two more home games next week with Drake on Monday and Indiana State on Wednesday.
"We have to bounce back, get right back to it tomorrow and be ready to defend our home court on Monday night," Mullins said. "It's a huge game for us."
Team Stats
UNI
SIU
FG%
.440
.489
3FG%
.273
.414
FT%
.826
.625
RB
30
28
TO
8
12
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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