Southern Illinois University
8-4,0-1MVC
Southern Indiana
3-10,0-0OVC
Recap | Salukis Rout Southern Indiana to Close Nonconference Slate, 81-50
12/22/2023 | 9:08:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – It was all Southern Illinois all night as the Salukis blew past Southern Indiana, 81-50, Friday to close the team's nonconference slate. All 11 Salukis who saw action entered the scoring column led by Xavier Johnson who finished with 16 points.
"It was a good 48 hours of prep and with the last game before Christmas there are always a lot of distractions. I thought our older guys had a good mindset coming out to start the game," head coach Bryan Mullins said after the win. "I thought our first-half defense set the tone for the whole game and offensively I thought we played unselfishly and shared the ball."
Southern Indiana scored the first bucket of the game, but the lead would be short-lived as SIU scored the next six points and never looked back. The Salukis would continue to pile onto the lead in the first going on a 16-2 run over seven minutes to take a 34-9 lead with just over four minutes left to play in the half.
The Salukis (8-4) put together one of its best defensive performances of the season in the first half of action, holding Southern Indiana to just 18.8 percent shooting (6-of-32) – the lowest shooting percentage of the season and just out of the top 10 in school history. SIU held the Screaming Eagles to just 14 points – the sixth fewest points SIU has held an opponent to in the first half ever.
Overall, SIU held Southern Indiana to 25.4 percent shooting (14-of-55) which tied for the eighth-best defensive performance in SIU history.
A Germantown, Maryland product, Johnson flirted once again with the triple-double in the win. The guard scored just five points in the first half, taking just one shot and connecting on a pair of free throws. He didn't need to score as he was able to find his teammates to build a large lead.
Trent Brown and Troy D'Amico made USI pay for their defensive strategy to put two men on the ball as they each knocked down a pair of triples in the first half. Johnson finished the half with five assists and three rebounds.
"X (Xavier Johnson) did a good job being patient and not forcing tough shots and was able to find some guys," Mullins said. "Trent (Brown) got a couple and Troy (D'Amico) stepped up big in the first half. We got a couple of rolls and had several guys in double figures tonight so that was good to see."
It was all Salukis and more in the second half, even after committing 16 fouls. SIU outscored USI 42-36 in the final 20 minutes while being trapped full-court for much of the period.
The Salukis continued to spread the ball around against USI as Jarrett Hensley scored nine of his 12 points in the final 20 minutes and Johnson put in 11 points on 2-for-3 shooting to go with five free throws. Johnson finished the game with 16 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, leading SIU in all categories.
Scottie Ebube scored in double-figures for the second-straight game finishing with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting. D'Amico closed the game with 11 points while Brown had 10 for the Dawgs.
AJ Smith led USI with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
UP NEXT
After Christmas, the Salukis will begin Missouri Valley Conference play on December 30th when UIC comes to town for a 6 p.m. tip. It will be SIU's second-annual New Year's Saluki Bash, with another record-setting balloon drop at halftime and a festive atmosphere to ring in the new year.
Tickets for the game start as low as $3 by using code THREE at SIUSalukis.com/Promo. You can also get your tickets 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.
