Thursday, January 27
Carbondale, Ill.
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
10-11,3-6MVC
39
vs
44
Loyola
16-3,7-1MVC
1
2
F
Loyola Chicago
19
25
44
Southern Ill.
21
18
39
Loyola grinds out 44-39 win over Men's Basketball
01/27/2022 | 9:38:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Just as it did two days earlier, Southern Illinois went toe-to-toe with first-place Loyola, only to have the game slip away in the final minutes — this time a gut-wrenching 44-39 loss at Banterra Center on Thursday night.
The Salukis (10-11, 3-6) played ferocious defense, holding the Ramblers (16-3, 7-1) 30 points under their season average. They made more baskets than Loyola (16-15) and out-rebounded their opponent (40-34). They led by four, 33-29, with five minutes left in the game.
Somehow, Loyola still found a way to pull out the road victory in a hostile environment of 4,315 rowdy fans and a jam-packed Dawg Pound. A veteran team with NCAA Tournament experience, the Ramblers pieced together a decisive 9-0 run at crunch time.
Loyola's best player, Lucas Williamson, was scoreless and 0-for-10 from the field when he finally made a step-back jumper that started the 9-0 run. He followed that shot up with a 3-pointer that gave Loyola it's first lead of the second half, 36-33, wtih 3:52 to go. Williamson finished the game with five points, all of them huge.
Having just played two days earlier, and with coaching staffs intimately familiar with each other's programs, there were no surprises in the game. From the opening tip, the teams fought for every possession like it was their last.
"That was an NCAA Tournament game, a championship-level game, a Sunday-CBS St. Louis-type game," remarked SIU head coach Bryan Mullins.
Southern won the first half, 21-19, and the biggest lead for either team during the half was three points. The Salukis led for the first 16 minutes of the second half, but points and runs were excruciatingly difficult to come by for either team.
"Our guys didn't break, our guys didn't back down one ounce," Mullins said. "We fell a little short offensively, and as a coaching staff, we'll get some things figured out and put our guys in better positions to be successful."
The Salukis took their largest lead, 25-19, on back-to-back driving layups by Lance Jones, who led Southern with 12 points. Marcus Domask — SIU's go-to scorer — was held to 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting.
"Loyola's a great defensive team," Mullins acknowledged. "They take you out of a lot of different actions. I thought our guys had some good looks. We have some guys who can really score the ball, really shoot it, and we'll make sure their successful on the offensive end.
Midway through the conference season, Southern's three home losses have come by a total of six points.
"It's that last six-inch gap in terms of learning how to win, closing out those games," Mullins said. "These guys are going to get it because they care so much and put so much into it. I'm excited for the second half of the conference season."
Southern has clearly established it's identity as one of the top defenses in the conference and in the country. Now, it's eager to take the next step.
"It's not supposed to be easy — not when you're starting from ground zero and you're building it," Mullins said. "Marcus, Lance, Trent (Brown) — these kids didn't have a championship program when they walked into it. They're taking a lot of stuff on their shoulders right now. Every single day these kids are still climbing and they can't wait to get to the top."
The Salukis (10-11, 3-6) played ferocious defense, holding the Ramblers (16-3, 7-1) 30 points under their season average. They made more baskets than Loyola (16-15) and out-rebounded their opponent (40-34). They led by four, 33-29, with five minutes left in the game.
Somehow, Loyola still found a way to pull out the road victory in a hostile environment of 4,315 rowdy fans and a jam-packed Dawg Pound. A veteran team with NCAA Tournament experience, the Ramblers pieced together a decisive 9-0 run at crunch time.
Loyola's best player, Lucas Williamson, was scoreless and 0-for-10 from the field when he finally made a step-back jumper that started the 9-0 run. He followed that shot up with a 3-pointer that gave Loyola it's first lead of the second half, 36-33, wtih 3:52 to go. Williamson finished the game with five points, all of them huge.
Having just played two days earlier, and with coaching staffs intimately familiar with each other's programs, there were no surprises in the game. From the opening tip, the teams fought for every possession like it was their last.
"That was an NCAA Tournament game, a championship-level game, a Sunday-CBS St. Louis-type game," remarked SIU head coach Bryan Mullins.
Southern won the first half, 21-19, and the biggest lead for either team during the half was three points. The Salukis led for the first 16 minutes of the second half, but points and runs were excruciatingly difficult to come by for either team.
"Our guys didn't break, our guys didn't back down one ounce," Mullins said. "We fell a little short offensively, and as a coaching staff, we'll get some things figured out and put our guys in better positions to be successful."
The Salukis took their largest lead, 25-19, on back-to-back driving layups by Lance Jones, who led Southern with 12 points. Marcus Domask — SIU's go-to scorer — was held to 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting.
"Loyola's a great defensive team," Mullins acknowledged. "They take you out of a lot of different actions. I thought our guys had some good looks. We have some guys who can really score the ball, really shoot it, and we'll make sure their successful on the offensive end.
Midway through the conference season, Southern's three home losses have come by a total of six points.
"It's that last six-inch gap in terms of learning how to win, closing out those games," Mullins said. "These guys are going to get it because they care so much and put so much into it. I'm excited for the second half of the conference season."
Southern has clearly established it's identity as one of the top defenses in the conference and in the country. Now, it's eager to take the next step.
"It's not supposed to be easy — not when you're starting from ground zero and you're building it," Mullins said. "Marcus, Lance, Trent (Brown) — these kids didn't have a championship program when they walked into it. They're taking a lot of stuff on their shoulders right now. Every single day these kids are still climbing and they can't wait to get to the top."
Team Stats
Loyola
SIU
FG%
.313
.296
3FG%
.143
.071
FT%
.667
1.000
RB
34
40
TO
5
9
STL
3
2
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballSaluki Football Broadcast Purdue
Sunday, September 07
9.5.25 | Saluki Radio Preview - Purdue
Friday, September 05
9.4.25 | Matt Painter on Rodney Watson Being Inducted Into SIU Hall of Fame
Thursday, September 04
9.3.25 | Saluki Radio Football Podcast - Purdue
Wednesday, September 03