Wednesday, February 8
Carbondale, IL
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
19-7,11-4MVC
68
vs
66
UIC
10-16,2-13MVC
1
2
F
UIC
27
39
66
Southern Ill.
35
33
68
Salukis Edge past UIC to Win 10th-Straight at Home
02/08/2023 | 10:19:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois men's basketball won its 10th-straight game inside Banterra Center, but it wasn't easy as the Salukis had to make a defensive stop with 3.7 seconds left to claim a 68-66 victory over the Flames.
"We got the lead up to double-figures but give credit to UIC because they never quit playing," head coach Bryan Mullins said. "There were a lot of things that went wrong for us over the last six or seven minutes of the game and our guys still found a way to win."
Mullins continued: "You have to win these types of games if you're trying to compete for a championship and our guys were able to get stops down the stretch and that was ultimately what won us the game there."
Marcus Domask put together another strong game to lead the Salukis (19-7, 11-4 MVC), finishing with a game-high 24 points to go with six assists and five rebounds. The forward was clutch down the stretch, scoring seven of the final 13 points in the game for Southern.
The Salukis also got excellent play from big men Scottie Ebube and JD Muila off the bench as the duo combined to go 7-for-7 from the floor. Ebube sparked several key runs for SIU with all four of his field goals coming on dunks.
Out of the intermission, UIC (10-16, 2-13 MVC) went on a 14-6 run to tie the game at 41 but Southern Illinois answered back by scoring the next 10 points to push their lead to double digits for the first time. The Salukis extended their lead to 15 points with nine minutes left before UIC began its comeback effort.
Though SIU held UIC 1-for-14 from the field during a stretch in the second half, the Flames were able to get to the free throw line and capitalize going 11-for-15 to fuel the rally.
Southern was strong defensively, holding UIC to 34.4 percent (22-of-64) from the field in the game, but turnovers plagued SIU once more, giving the ball away 21 times leading to 18 points off turnovers for UIC.
The Flames were also able to corral 13 offensive rebounds while SIU was held to just three over 40 minutes. The second-chance opportunities and turnovers led to a 23-shot difference in the game in favor of UIC.
It was a team effort on the boards for Southern which won the rebounding battle 36-30. Point guard Xavier Johnson had a team-high nine rebounds in the win while eight others recorded a rebound for the Dawgs. Muila pulled down six rebounds while Jawuan Newton added five for SIU.
Lance Jones was the only other Saluki to score in double-figures with 12 points.
Southern also matched a season-high with six blocks led by forward Clarence Rupert who recorded two in the win.
Jace Carter led the Flames offensive attack with 17 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Guard Tre Anderson added 14 for UIC.
UP NEXT
The Salukis return to action Saturday afternoon with a matchup against Drake on the road in Des Moines. The game is set to air nationally on ESPNU with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. CT from the Knapp Center.
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.
"We got the lead up to double-figures but give credit to UIC because they never quit playing," head coach Bryan Mullins said. "There were a lot of things that went wrong for us over the last six or seven minutes of the game and our guys still found a way to win."
Mullins continued: "You have to win these types of games if you're trying to compete for a championship and our guys were able to get stops down the stretch and that was ultimately what won us the game there."
Marcus Domask put together another strong game to lead the Salukis (19-7, 11-4 MVC), finishing with a game-high 24 points to go with six assists and five rebounds. The forward was clutch down the stretch, scoring seven of the final 13 points in the game for Southern.
The Salukis also got excellent play from big men Scottie Ebube and JD Muila off the bench as the duo combined to go 7-for-7 from the floor. Ebube sparked several key runs for SIU with all four of his field goals coming on dunks.
Out of the intermission, UIC (10-16, 2-13 MVC) went on a 14-6 run to tie the game at 41 but Southern Illinois answered back by scoring the next 10 points to push their lead to double digits for the first time. The Salukis extended their lead to 15 points with nine minutes left before UIC began its comeback effort.
Though SIU held UIC 1-for-14 from the field during a stretch in the second half, the Flames were able to get to the free throw line and capitalize going 11-for-15 to fuel the rally.
Southern was strong defensively, holding UIC to 34.4 percent (22-of-64) from the field in the game, but turnovers plagued SIU once more, giving the ball away 21 times leading to 18 points off turnovers for UIC.
The Flames were also able to corral 13 offensive rebounds while SIU was held to just three over 40 minutes. The second-chance opportunities and turnovers led to a 23-shot difference in the game in favor of UIC.
It was a team effort on the boards for Southern which won the rebounding battle 36-30. Point guard Xavier Johnson had a team-high nine rebounds in the win while eight others recorded a rebound for the Dawgs. Muila pulled down six rebounds while Jawuan Newton added five for SIU.
Lance Jones was the only other Saluki to score in double-figures with 12 points.
Southern also matched a season-high with six blocks led by forward Clarence Rupert who recorded two in the win.
Jace Carter led the Flames offensive attack with 17 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Guard Tre Anderson added 14 for UIC.
UP NEXT
The Salukis return to action Saturday afternoon with a matchup against Drake on the road in Des Moines. The game is set to air nationally on ESPNU with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. CT from the Knapp Center.
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
UIC
SIU
FG%
.344
.537
3FG%
.348
.429
FT%
.737
.818
RB
30
36
TO
8
21
STL
11
2
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
8
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
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