Salukis Welcome Queens to Banterra Center Friday Night

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois men's basketball will play host to Queens University of Charlotte Friday night at Banterra Center with the game tipping off at 7 p.m. The game is billed as the Charles Helleny Tipoff Classic in honor of the late Charles Helleny, a long-time supporter of the program.

Helleny, who was known as "Mr. Southern Illinois," was a 1957 SIU alum and generously donated the fourth-largest gift in Saluki Athletics history. He passed away in August 2019, and SIU's first home game against a Division I opponent each season is named in his honor.

PROMOS
• Southern Illinois Athletics has announced $6 tickets for Friday night's contest. The discounted tickets are available in section 113 of Banterra Center and can be purchased by visiting SIUSalukis.com/Promo and using code: PackThePound.
• If 2,000 students attend the game on Friday, there will be a drawing for free tuition. Get more information by clicking HERE. Saluki Director of Athletics Tim Leonard will also shave his head at the game if 2,000 students attend the game.
• Remember, at all Saluki men's basketball games, kids are invited down to the court for pregame starting lineups. To participate, bring your child to the floor in front of Section 107 10 minutes before tipoff and look for Brown or Grey Dawg.

WHERE TO WATCH AND LISTEN
• The game will be available nationally on ESPN Plus with Dominic Hosher (play-by-play) and Kelly Burke (analyst) calling the action.

• The radio broadcast can be heard on the Saluki Radio Network, SIUSalukis.com/Listen, the Saluki Mobile App, and the Varsity Network App with Larry Larson (play-by-play) and Rodney Watson (analyst) on the call.

LAST TIME OUT
• Southern Illinois opened its season with an 88-57 win over Kentucky State Monday night.
• Five players scored in double-figures for the Salukis -- marking the first time that had happened since February 22, 2021 at Valparaiso.
• Xavier Johnson put in a show to open the season, leading SIU with 20 points to open the season. He hit two 3-pointers and added three assists in the win.
• Forward Clarence Rupert picked up his first double-double in a Saluki uniform against the Thorobreds, dropping in 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
• Graduate guard Trent Brown caught fire in the second half, scoring all 12 of his points in the final 20 minutes, connecting on 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
• Newcomer Jovan Stulic made an immediate impact for the Salukis as he scored 14, including three triples in his SIU debut.

THE MATCHUP
• Friday's matchup will be the first-ever meeting between the Salukis and Royals. Queens is in its second season at the Division I level and a member of the Atlantic Sun. The Royals finished their inaugural season 18-15 a year ago, winning seven conference games.
• The Royals return six letter winners from that squad, including four consistent starters in AJ McKee, Gavin Rains, BJ McLaurin, and Kalib Mathews.
• Queens was picked to finish 10th in the ASUN Preseason Poll.
• Preseason All-Conference recipient AJ McKee returns to the Royals offense after averaging 15.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game last season. The Charlotte native was top five in the scoring in the ASUN reaching double figures in 31-of-33 games.

QUICK HITS
• SIU finished the 2022-23 season 23-10 -- the most wins since the 2006-07 season.
• Closed the year eight games over .500 in MVC play -- the best since 2007.
• SIU won a true road game over a Power-5 team for the first time since 2000 (at Oklahoma St) last year.
• Southern has beaten a Power-6 team three years in a row for the first time in program history.
• SIU ended the season ranked 12th nationally and first in the MVC in scoring defense (61.4 ppg).

JOHNSON AN MVC PRESEASON PICK
• Graduate Xavier Johnson was named to the preseason MVC Third Team. The guard returns for his second season in maroon & white after starting in 31 games a year ago and scoring seven points per outing. Johnson was named to the MVC All-Defensive Team following the 2022-23 and was second on the team and sixth in the MVC with 50 steals. To go along with his scoring output Johnson averaged 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

BANTERRA MAGIC
The Salukis have set a new program record with their 20th-straight home nonconference win against Kentucky State -- a record dating back to the 2019 season. Under the direction of head coaches Bruce Weber and Matt Painter, the Salukis won 19-straight from 1999-2003.

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.

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Trent Brown

Xavier Johnson

Clarence Rupert

Jovan Stulic

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