Wednesday, January 31
Carbondale, IL
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
14-8,6-5MVC
75
vs
76
Missouri State
13-9,5-6MVC
1
2
OT 1
F
Missouri St.
31
32
13
76
Southern Ill.
42
21
12
75
Photo by: Saluki Athletic Communications
Recap | Bears Rally to Slip Past Salukis in Overtime, 76-75
01/31/2024 | 10:26:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Turnovers proved to be costly as Southern Illinois dropped an overtime matchup with Missouri State Wednesday night at Banterra Center, 76-75.
The Salukis (14-8, 6-5 MVC) led by 12 at the 12-minute mark in the second half of action before the Bears went on a tear on the defensive side of the ball.
Missouri State's full-court press slowed the Saluki offense nearly to a halt as SIU scored just 12 points over the final 10 minutes of action. The Bears forced 11 second-half and overtime turnovers by the Salukis, converting the errors into 11 points in the final 25 minutes, erasing a 42-31 halftime deficit.
"Disappointed in the way we finished the game – give credit to Missouri State for fighting back," head coach Bryan Mullins said. "We have to do a better job of executing and getting stops. I have to do a better job putting our guys in positions to be successful…we have to be able to close games out, especially here at home. We have to learn from this and get ready for UIC."
"We let our offense affect our body language, our communication between each other," Mullins said. "We have to be able to fight through that. We still put ourselves in a position to win the game there towards the end. We just have to be able to execute the last four minutes and close a team out."
Xavier Johnson scored a game-high 28 points in the loss to go along with six assists. Trent Brown (19) and Troy D'Amico (15) also scored in double-figures for SIU.
SIU shot 8-for-15 from behind the arc in the first half before finishing the game 13-for-27 (48.1 percent). Johnson and Brown had five triples apiece.
Chance Moore finished 5-for-6 from the floor for MSU but his biggest shot of the game came with 18 seconds left in regulation when he converted in the paint to tie the game.
Johnson took contact on his final shot at the end of regulation, but no foul was called sending the game to overtime.
Donovan Clay scored eight of his 24 points in overtime, willing the Bears to the win. After a Brown triple put the Salukis ahead 67-65, Clay converted a turnaround shot in the paint before Moore connected on a triple out of a timeout to put the Bears up 70-67.
The Bears would get a turnover in the backcourt on a double-dribble call before Clay put MSU ahead five with another mid-range pullup.
D'Amico would cut the lead back to two points with a 3-pointer from the top of the key and after a defensive stop, SIU would get a pair of free throws from Johnson to tie the game with 20 seconds remaining.
Missouri State got to Clay for an isolation score with under five seconds left and the Salukis would turn the ball over on an inbound play sending MSU to the charity stripe where they would go up four to complete the comeback.
SIU won the battle on the boards 37-32, but key offensive rebounds down the stretch would come back to hurt the Salukis as MSU converted both second-half offensive rebounds into scores.
Five Bears scored in double-digits led by Clay who had 24 for MSU. Alston Mason had 13 on 4-for-19 shooting and Moore added 13 – all of which came in the second half and overtime.
UP NEXT
The Salukis are set to travel to Chicago for a meeting with UIC on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. from Credit Union 1 Arena.
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 (14-8, 6-5 MVC) led by 12 at the 12-minute mark in the second half of action before the Bears went on a tear on the defensive side of the ball.
Missouri State's full-court press slowed the Saluki offense nearly to a halt as SIU scored just 12 points over the final 10 minutes of action. The Bears forced 11 second-half and overtime turnovers by the Salukis, converting the errors into 11 points in the final 25 minutes, erasing a 42-31 halftime deficit.
"Disappointed in the way we finished the game – give credit to Missouri State for fighting back," head coach Bryan Mullins said. "We have to do a better job of executing and getting stops. I have to do a better job putting our guys in positions to be successful…we have to be able to close games out, especially here at home. We have to learn from this and get ready for UIC."
"We let our offense affect our body language, our communication between each other," Mullins said. "We have to be able to fight through that. We still put ourselves in a position to win the game there towards the end. We just have to be able to execute the last four minutes and close a team out."
Xavier Johnson scored a game-high 28 points in the loss to go along with six assists. Trent Brown (19) and Troy D'Amico (15) also scored in double-figures for SIU.
SIU shot 8-for-15 from behind the arc in the first half before finishing the game 13-for-27 (48.1 percent). Johnson and Brown had five triples apiece.
Chance Moore finished 5-for-6 from the floor for MSU but his biggest shot of the game came with 18 seconds left in regulation when he converted in the paint to tie the game.
Johnson took contact on his final shot at the end of regulation, but no foul was called sending the game to overtime.
Donovan Clay scored eight of his 24 points in overtime, willing the Bears to the win. After a Brown triple put the Salukis ahead 67-65, Clay converted a turnaround shot in the paint before Moore connected on a triple out of a timeout to put the Bears up 70-67.
The Bears would get a turnover in the backcourt on a double-dribble call before Clay put MSU ahead five with another mid-range pullup.
D'Amico would cut the lead back to two points with a 3-pointer from the top of the key and after a defensive stop, SIU would get a pair of free throws from Johnson to tie the game with 20 seconds remaining.
Missouri State got to Clay for an isolation score with under five seconds left and the Salukis would turn the ball over on an inbound play sending MSU to the charity stripe where they would go up four to complete the comeback.
SIU won the battle on the boards 37-32, but key offensive rebounds down the stretch would come back to hurt the Salukis as MSU converted both second-half offensive rebounds into scores.
Five Bears scored in double-digits led by Clay who had 24 for MSU. Alston Mason had 13 on 4-for-19 shooting and Moore added 13 – all of which came in the second half and overtime.
UP NEXT
The Salukis are set to travel to Chicago for a meeting with UIC on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. from Credit Union 1 Arena.
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
MOST
SIU
FG%
.470
.426
3FG%
.222
.481
FT%
.769
.800
RB
32
37
TO
7
16
STL
10
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
28
FGM
9
3FGM
5
FTM
5
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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