Wednesday, January 17
Carbondale, IL
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
12-6,4-3MVC
69
vs
70
Bradley
13-5,5-2MVC
1
2
F
Bradley
24
46
70
Southern Ill.
45
24
69
Photo by: Saluki Athletic Communications
Recap | Second Half Surge Pushes Bradley Past Salukis, 70-69
01/17/2024 | 9:54:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – It was a tale of two halves Wednesday night as the Salukis saw a double-digit lead evaporate to Bradley in a 70-69 loss inside Banterra Center.
The Salukis (12-6, 4-3 MVC) had a chance to win it in the final seconds as Xavier Johnson pulled up for a 15-foot jumper that was just off.
"Obviously disappointed with the result – disappointed in the second half," head coach Bryan Mullins said. "Give Bradley a lot of credit for fighting back. I thought we played a really good first 20 minutes of the game, but we didn't play winning basketball in the second half."
Leading 45-24 at halftime, the Salukis struggled down the stretch as Bradley (13-5, 5-2 MVC) could not miss in the final five minutes as they reeled off a 13-4 run to close the game.
Turnovers proved to be costly down the stretch as Bradley capitalized late on Saluki miscues resulting in baskets down the stretch. The Braves turned 10 Salukis turnovers into 14 points in the game while SIU only scored six points on eight BU turnovers.
"I thought offensively we did some good things, but we just had too many turnovers in that second half and those cost us every time it seemed. They made us pay," Mullins said.
It was a hot start for the Salukis from the opening tip as they were able to jump all over the Braves, knocking down their first six shots from the field to go up 16 points early. Forward AJ Ferguson was a key part of Southern's early success as the Houston native was aggressive driving to the rim with nine points in the first six minutes.
The Salukis finished the first half shooting 59 percent (16-27) from the field and 7-for-14 from behind the arc while holding Bradley to just 33 percent (9-27) shooting. Johnson and Ferguson led Southern with 12 points in the first half. Johnson along with Trent Brown and Troy D'Amico each knocked down a pair of 3-pointers as SIU went into the locker room with a 45-24 lead.
With Bradley on an 11-1 run midway through the second half and within eight points, D'Amico would knock in a 3-pointer from the top of the key to end the Braves run and push the SIU lead 58-47 with 10:18 left to play.
The Braves would continue to chip away at the SIU lead until Connor Hickman put the Braves on top for good with an and-one layup with just under a minute left in the game. BU's Duke Dean was strong down the stretch, scoring eight of Bradley's points over six minutes before eventually tying the game at 67 with a layup. Dean also connected on a pair of 3-pointers during the 13-4 run.
SIU was led by Johnson with 18 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. Ferguson finished with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting while Clarence Rupert had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Hickman had 15 for the Braves including the go-ahead bucket late. Dean and Darius Hannah also added 15 apiece.
UP NEXT
The Salukis hit the road for Iowa to faceoff with Northern Iowa on Saturday. Tipoff with the Panthers is set for 7 p.m. from the McCleod Center. The game will air 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.
The Salukis (12-6, 4-3 MVC) had a chance to win it in the final seconds as Xavier Johnson pulled up for a 15-foot jumper that was just off.
"Obviously disappointed with the result – disappointed in the second half," head coach Bryan Mullins said. "Give Bradley a lot of credit for fighting back. I thought we played a really good first 20 minutes of the game, but we didn't play winning basketball in the second half."
Leading 45-24 at halftime, the Salukis struggled down the stretch as Bradley (13-5, 5-2 MVC) could not miss in the final five minutes as they reeled off a 13-4 run to close the game.
Turnovers proved to be costly down the stretch as Bradley capitalized late on Saluki miscues resulting in baskets down the stretch. The Braves turned 10 Salukis turnovers into 14 points in the game while SIU only scored six points on eight BU turnovers.
"I thought offensively we did some good things, but we just had too many turnovers in that second half and those cost us every time it seemed. They made us pay," Mullins said.
It was a hot start for the Salukis from the opening tip as they were able to jump all over the Braves, knocking down their first six shots from the field to go up 16 points early. Forward AJ Ferguson was a key part of Southern's early success as the Houston native was aggressive driving to the rim with nine points in the first six minutes.
The Salukis finished the first half shooting 59 percent (16-27) from the field and 7-for-14 from behind the arc while holding Bradley to just 33 percent (9-27) shooting. Johnson and Ferguson led Southern with 12 points in the first half. Johnson along with Trent Brown and Troy D'Amico each knocked down a pair of 3-pointers as SIU went into the locker room with a 45-24 lead.
With Bradley on an 11-1 run midway through the second half and within eight points, D'Amico would knock in a 3-pointer from the top of the key to end the Braves run and push the SIU lead 58-47 with 10:18 left to play.
The Braves would continue to chip away at the SIU lead until Connor Hickman put the Braves on top for good with an and-one layup with just under a minute left in the game. BU's Duke Dean was strong down the stretch, scoring eight of Bradley's points over six minutes before eventually tying the game at 67 with a layup. Dean also connected on a pair of 3-pointers during the 13-4 run.
SIU was led by Johnson with 18 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. Ferguson finished with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting while Clarence Rupert had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Hickman had 15 for the Braves including the go-ahead bucket late. Dean and Darius Hannah also added 15 apiece.
UP NEXT
The Salukis hit the road for Iowa to faceoff with Northern Iowa on Saturday. Tipoff with the Panthers is set for 7 p.m. from the McCleod Center. The game will air 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.
Team Stats
BRAD
SIU
FG%
.500
.480
3FG%
.467
.381
FT%
.867
.722
RB
24
31
TO
8
10
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball9.24.25 | Saluki Football Podcast - Bye Week
Thursday, September 25
9.24.25 | Saluki Chats in Chevies - DJ Williams
Wednesday, September 24
Inside Saluki Athletics - September 23rd
Wednesday, September 24
9.15.25 | Saluki Spotlight Presented by SIU Alumni Association: Penny Warner (Soccer)
Wednesday, September 24