Saturday, January 27
Murray KY
1 PM
Southern Illinois University
14-7,6-4MVC
60
at
58
Murray State
8-13,5-5MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
30
30
60
Murray St.
38
20
58
Recap | Salukis Stun Murray State in 20-Point Road Rally, 60-58
01/27/2024 | 5:12:00 | Men's Basketball
MURRAY, Ky. – Xavier Johnson capped off a 25-3 Southern Illinois run with the go-ahead basket with 2.9 seconds left Saturday afternoon inside CFSB Center as the Salukis walked away with a 60-58 victory over Murray State.
The Salukis (14-7, 6-4 MVC) trailed by as many as 20 points in the game before locking in on the defensive side of the ball to allow just three points to the Racers over the final 13 minutes of action including just one field goal – a breakaway dunk with 4:38 left to play.
"The guys stuck together, even though we weren't playing well, we weren't executing, and we were allowing easy baskets," head coach Bryan Mullins. "There was still really good communication in the huddles, and our older guys kept talking about possession by possession that we can get this back, we can do it. I think that belief ultimately led to us being successful."
Trailing 55-35 with 14 minutes left, the Salukis began to chip away at the Racer lead first with a 12-0 run over six minutes.
The Salukis would cut the deficit to just two points after Trent Brown converted a four-point play with 4:07 left to play. Johnson would tie the game at 58 on a driving layup with just over three minutes left to play.
Following a defensive stop, the Salukis called a timeout to draw up the final play with just over 30 seconds left. Johnson absorbed contact in the paint before laying the game-winner up high off the glass to put the Salukis ahead for the first time in the game with under three seconds left.
"He's earned it. I trust his work and he made a great finish over two people today. "He made some big shots for us today to get us back in the game as well," Mullins said when asked about Johnson's go-ahead bucket.
Defensively the Salukis dominated the floor in the second half, including massive minutes from big man Scottie Ebube who played for much of the run, coming away with eight rebounds and two key blocks over the stretch.
"Scottie did a great job. His hand activity was really strong, and he was able to break up some passing lanes," Mullins said. "His presence in the paint really made it hard for guards to finish and he was also able to rebound for us."
The Salukis turned the ball over a season-high 18 times in the game and Murray State turned the SIU miscues into 21 points. SIU limited its turnovers in the second half to just six including just one in the final 14 minutes while forcing MSU to five.
"Turning the ball over 18 times on the road -- it's going to be tough to win," Mullins said after the game. "What was able to get us back in the game was taking care of the ball, getting stops, and keeping them out of the paint. We were able to rebound and limit them to one shot which was huge for us."
SIU won the battle on the glass 36-22 while only giving up one offensive rebound during the game. Every Saluki who saw the court grabbed a rebound led by Ebube's eight while freshman Kennard Davis Jr. had seven boards. SIU turned eight offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points.
Brown and Johnson led the Salukis with 16 points each while forward AJ Ferguson dropped in 14 points – 12 of which came in the first half which kept the Salukis in striking distance.
The win marked the largest comeback for the Salukis since rallying back from a 21-point deficit to defeat Northern Iowa back in 2019.
Rob Perry, Brian Moore Jr., and JaCobi Wood led the Racers with 14 points. The Salukis held Perry scoreless in the second half after he connected on four 3-pointers in the first.
UP NEXT
The Salukis return to Banterra Center for a meeting with Missouri State Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking HERE. Fans can also call 877-SALUKIS or visit 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/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
The Salukis (14-7, 6-4 MVC) trailed by as many as 20 points in the game before locking in on the defensive side of the ball to allow just three points to the Racers over the final 13 minutes of action including just one field goal – a breakaway dunk with 4:38 left to play.
"The guys stuck together, even though we weren't playing well, we weren't executing, and we were allowing easy baskets," head coach Bryan Mullins. "There was still really good communication in the huddles, and our older guys kept talking about possession by possession that we can get this back, we can do it. I think that belief ultimately led to us being successful."
Trailing 55-35 with 14 minutes left, the Salukis began to chip away at the Racer lead first with a 12-0 run over six minutes.
The Salukis would cut the deficit to just two points after Trent Brown converted a four-point play with 4:07 left to play. Johnson would tie the game at 58 on a driving layup with just over three minutes left to play.
Following a defensive stop, the Salukis called a timeout to draw up the final play with just over 30 seconds left. Johnson absorbed contact in the paint before laying the game-winner up high off the glass to put the Salukis ahead for the first time in the game with under three seconds left.
"He's earned it. I trust his work and he made a great finish over two people today. "He made some big shots for us today to get us back in the game as well," Mullins said when asked about Johnson's go-ahead bucket.
Defensively the Salukis dominated the floor in the second half, including massive minutes from big man Scottie Ebube who played for much of the run, coming away with eight rebounds and two key blocks over the stretch.
"Scottie did a great job. His hand activity was really strong, and he was able to break up some passing lanes," Mullins said. "His presence in the paint really made it hard for guards to finish and he was also able to rebound for us."
The Salukis turned the ball over a season-high 18 times in the game and Murray State turned the SIU miscues into 21 points. SIU limited its turnovers in the second half to just six including just one in the final 14 minutes while forcing MSU to five.
"Turning the ball over 18 times on the road -- it's going to be tough to win," Mullins said after the game. "What was able to get us back in the game was taking care of the ball, getting stops, and keeping them out of the paint. We were able to rebound and limit them to one shot which was huge for us."
SIU won the battle on the glass 36-22 while only giving up one offensive rebound during the game. Every Saluki who saw the court grabbed a rebound led by Ebube's eight while freshman Kennard Davis Jr. had seven boards. SIU turned eight offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points.
Brown and Johnson led the Salukis with 16 points each while forward AJ Ferguson dropped in 14 points – 12 of which came in the first half which kept the Salukis in striking distance.
The win marked the largest comeback for the Salukis since rallying back from a 21-point deficit to defeat Northern Iowa back in 2019.
Rob Perry, Brian Moore Jr., and JaCobi Wood led the Racers with 14 points. The Salukis held Perry scoreless in the second half after he connected on four 3-pointers in the first.
UP NEXT
The Salukis return to Banterra Center for a meeting with Missouri State Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking HERE. Fans can also call 877-SALUKIS or visit 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/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Team Stats
SIU
MUR
FG%
.468
.478
3FG%
.360
.438
FT%
.538
.500
RB
36
22
TO
18
10
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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