Balanced Effort Helps Salukis Roll Past Little Rock in Season Opener, 94-63

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois rolled to a 94-63 season-opening victory over Little Rock Monday night at Banterra Center in the Charles Helleny Tipoff Classic. It was the largest attended home-opening game for SIU since 2014 with 5,199 fans in the building.

The Salukis led wire-to-wire with 11 different players hitting the scoring column led Lance Jones and Dalton Banks who scored 14 apiece.

"It was an electric atmosphere. The (team) fed off that energy and our guys never let up – and the Dawg Pound was awesome" Mullins noted after the game. "Overall, I thought we got off to a great start and I thought our effort was consistent for 40 minutes."

Feels good to be back. pic.twitter.com/SrIsChl6Up
— Saluki Basketball (@SIU_Basketball) November 8, 2022

Southern (1-0) jumped out to an early lead thanks in part to a strong start from the opening tip, leading Little Rock 11-2 before the first media break. Trent Brown, Marcus Domask and Jones all hit triples in the first three minutes, electrifying the Dawg Pound en route to the what would be a 24-point lead in the first half.

The Salukis put together the second-most points in a half under head coach Bryan Mullins after a 54-27 score at the break – nearly surpassing the 56-point effort in 2020 against Quincy.

Jones ignited an 11-0 scoring run in the first half with three-straight trips with 3-pointers midway through the first half. The senior finished the game with 14 points and a team-high four shots from behind the arc.

Domask was solid throughout, going for 11 points in 3-for-6 shooting while grabbing six rebounds and three assists in the victory.

LOOK OUT! ?? @marcusdomask1

Watch on #ESPN3 » https://t.co/QMMaF5iZlq pic.twitter.com/L5FB1HAL9y
— Saluki Basketball (@SIU_Basketball) November 8, 2022

Trent Brown scored six points, including a three at the buzzer to end the first half while newcomer Xavier Johnson dropped in six points and six assists in his first start.

The Salukis had plenty of scoring options in the game as the team picked up 51 bench points compared to Little Rock's 17.

"Our bench came in and gave us a huge lift throughout the game," Mullins said. "We had different guys step up on both ends of the floor. I'm pleased, I'm happy for these guys, for the amount of work they have put in and to play in front of that type of atmosphere tonight – I know they enjoyed it.

Off the bench, Banks provided an efficient 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting to go with five assists. Newcomer Jawaun Newton nearly tallied a double-double in his debut with 10 points and seven boards from the guard spot.

Big men Clarence Rupert and Scottie Ebube also shined for the Salukis down low. Rupert scored nine to go with eight rebounds while Ebube scored nine, had six rebounds while blocking a shot. Foster Wonders went for six in his debut, including a perfect 2-for-2 from distance.

SCOTTIE! SCOTTIE! @_Scottiee

Watch on #ESPN3 » https://t.co/QMMaF5B8zy pic.twitter.com/2K5uqq3xRJ
— Saluki Basketball (@SIU_Basketball) November 8, 2022

Overall, SIU won the battle on the glass 48-25 with 10 different players corralling rebounds.

Little Rock was led by D.J. Smith with 21 points in 9-for-16 shooting.

UP NEXT
The Salukis travel to Stillwater for a matchup with Oklahoma State on Thursday night. The game will air live on ESPN Plus at 7 p.m. CT.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Basketball, on Instagram at @SIU_Basketball and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.

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