Monday, November 6
Carbondale, IL
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
1-0,0-0MVC
88
vs
57
Kentucky State
0-0,0-0SIAC
1
2
F
Kentucky St.
19
38
57
Southern Ill.
44
44
88
Photo by: Madison Giltner
Salukis Take Down Kentucky State in Season Opener, 88-57
11/06/2023 | 9:51:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois men's basketball opened its season with an 88-57 victory over Kentucky State Monday evening inside Banterra Center. Five Salukis scored in double figures with SIU being led by graduate guard Xavier Johnson with 20 points.
Southern jumped out to an 8-3 lead and never looked back as Johnson and big man Clarence Rupert were in sync to open the game, combining for 19 of SIU's first 30 points. Rupert finished the game with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the win, securing his first double-double in an SIU uniform.
Southern took a 44-19 lead into the locker room at halftime after shooting over 50 percent from the field. Newcomer Jovan Stulic joined Johnson in double figures after the first 20 minutes, putting in 12 points. The sharpshooter connected on three triples in the first half and finished 4-for-7 from the field in his Saluki debut. Stulic was key during Southern's 22-2 run to end the first half, including a 9-2 run on his own.
SIU continued to work in new rotations in the second half of the game. Graduate guard Trent Brown was dominant in the second half, scoring all 12 of his points in the final 20 minutes. Brown finished the game 3-for-4 from deep while SIU was +34 when the guard was on the floor. Big man Scottie Ebube added a career-high 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go with six rebounds in the win.
The Salukis shot 54.2 percent (32-59) from the field and 11-22 from behind the arc. Southern outscored Kentucky State 40-22 in the paint while outrebounding the Thorobreds 42-31 in the game.
Lavar Miller Jr. paced KSU with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Joseph Owens added eight points and five rebounds for the Thorobreds.
UP NEXT
The Salukis welcome Atlantic Sun Conference member Queens to Banterra Center Friday night with tipoff set for 7 p.m. If 2,000 students attend the game, there will be a drawing for free tuition. Get more information by clicking HERE.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets start at just $125 and are on sale now for the 2023-24 season. Fans can purchase tickets for the 18-game home slate including nonconference games against Oklahoma State and Saint Louis by calling 877-SALUKIS, visiting SIUSalukis.com/Tickets or by visiting the SIU Ticket Office during normal business hours.
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.
Southern jumped out to an 8-3 lead and never looked back as Johnson and big man Clarence Rupert were in sync to open the game, combining for 19 of SIU's first 30 points. Rupert finished the game with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the win, securing his first double-double in an SIU uniform.
Southern took a 44-19 lead into the locker room at halftime after shooting over 50 percent from the field. Newcomer Jovan Stulic joined Johnson in double figures after the first 20 minutes, putting in 12 points. The sharpshooter connected on three triples in the first half and finished 4-for-7 from the field in his Saluki debut. Stulic was key during Southern's 22-2 run to end the first half, including a 9-2 run on his own.
SIU continued to work in new rotations in the second half of the game. Graduate guard Trent Brown was dominant in the second half, scoring all 12 of his points in the final 20 minutes. Brown finished the game 3-for-4 from deep while SIU was +34 when the guard was on the floor. Big man Scottie Ebube added a career-high 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go with six rebounds in the win.
The Salukis shot 54.2 percent (32-59) from the field and 11-22 from behind the arc. Southern outscored Kentucky State 40-22 in the paint while outrebounding the Thorobreds 42-31 in the game.
Lavar Miller Jr. paced KSU with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Joseph Owens added eight points and five rebounds for the Thorobreds.
UP NEXT
The Salukis welcome Atlantic Sun Conference member Queens to Banterra Center Friday night with tipoff set for 7 p.m. If 2,000 students attend the game, there will be a drawing for free tuition. Get more information by clicking HERE.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets start at just $125 and are on sale now for the 2023-24 season. Fans can purchase tickets for the 18-game home slate including nonconference games against Oklahoma State and Saint Louis by calling 877-SALUKIS, visiting SIUSalukis.com/Tickets or by visiting the SIU Ticket Office during normal business hours.
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.
Team Stats
KySt
SIU
FG%
.377
.542
3FG%
.318
.500
FT%
.444
.542
RB
31
42
TO
13
10
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballG
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