Recap | Southern Illinois Moves To 3-0 After Taking Down Chicago State

Thursday, November 16

Carbondale, IL

7 PM

Southern Illinois University

3-0,0-0MVC

Chicago State

1-4,0-0DI Independent

Team	1	2	F
Chicago St.	22	33	55
Southern Ill.	31	40	71

Photo by: Sam Bischel

Recap | Southern Illinois Moves To 3-0 After Taking Down Chicago State

11/16/2023 | 10:30:00 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Presser Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Tim McCaughan, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Forward AJ Ferguson scored a career-high 20 points as Southern Illinois defeated Chicago State 71-55 Thursday night at Banterra Center to improve to 3-0 on the year. The win extended SIU's program record nonconference home winning streak to 22 games.

The Salukis had to overcome foul trouble early as starting guard Xavier Johnson picked up two fouls and was forced to the bench four minutes into play.

Southern would get the offense going at the 10-minute mark in the first half as Johnson reentered the game to help spark a run. Ahead by just three, SIU reeled off a 13-1 run over four minutes to take a 26-13 lead. Trent Brown and Troy D'Amico scored nine of the 13 points during the run with Brown knocking down a pair of triples and D'Amico capping off an 8-0 run with a transition three of his own.

Chicago State (1-4) cut the SIU advantage to single digits after a 6-0 run to close out the first half as the Salukis went into the locker room with a 31-22 lead.

Southern outrebounded the Cougars 23-13 in the first 20 minutes and was able to force seven turnovers which they were able to convert into nine points. The Salukis also held the Cougars to 0-5 from downtown in the first half while connecting on five 3-pointers of their own.

SIU continued its strong defense in the second half, using five Chicago State turnovers to put together a 12-2 run, extending its lead to nearly 20 points at the midway point. Ferguson put on a show in the second half, dropping in 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Johnson scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, making his way to the free throw line with aggressive moves to the rim where he finished 10-for-10 overall. The graduate guard also dished out seven of SIU's 13 assists and led the team with four steals.

The Salukis outrebounded CSU 36-26 led by forward Clarence Rupert who led all players with 11 in the game. Rupert corralled five offensive rebounds leading to seven second-chance points for the Salukis.

Chicago State was led by Wesley Cardet with 15 points while Jahshean Corbett added 13 for the Cougars.

UP NEXT
The Salukis head to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge next week. SIU will open the two-day event on Tuesday against nationally ranked James Madison at 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET. Southern will face either New Mexico State or Fresno State on Wednesday. Both games will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
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.