Sunday, December 29
Cedar Falls, IA
1 PM
Southern Illinois University
5-8,0-2MVC
67
at
78
Northern Iowa
8-5,2-0MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
34
33
67
UNI
38
40
78
Recap | Salukis Fall to Northern Iowa in Road Matchup, 78-67
12/29/2024 | 3:57:00 | Men's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Southern Illinois basketball held a nine-point lead over Northern Iowa with just over five minutes in the first half, but the Panthers would close out the opening half on a 13-0 run en route to a 78-67 win Sunday afternoon at the McLeod Center.
"They were more physical than we were, really on both ends," head coach Scott Nagy said following the loss. "We got off to a better start in this game, but when things got tight, we just couldn't run the offense. They weren't going to let us run what we wanted, and they just played more physical than us on the offensive end."
The Salukis (5-8, 0-2 MVC) got off to one of their best starts to a game this season, jumping out to a 10-4 lead four minutes into action. The big three for the Salukis scored all 10 for the Dawgs led by Jarrett Hensley who had five of his team-high 14 first-half points during the start. Kennard Davis Jr. (3) and Ali Dibba (2) also dropped in points to start.
UNI (8-5, 2-0 MVC) battled back into the game and got the lead to just one point with 9:22 left to play before Southern was able to reel off a 15-6 run of their own to take a 34-25 lead – the teams biggest lead of the game. Southern was able to build on their physicality throughout the half as they forced nine UNI turnovers which they converted into 15 points. Four of UNI's turnovers in the half came during SIU's run midway through the half.
With a chance to extend the lead to 10 points with just over five minutes left, the Salukis would miss a free throw, and UNI would take full advantage over the final moments. Four Panthers would get into the scoring column over a 13-0 run to end the half to give UNI a 38-34 lead. Leon Bond III and Tytan Anderson each scored four points during the stretch.
Coming out of the locker room, UNI extended their lead to nine after scoring the first five points. It was Sheridan Sharp who would snap the UNI scoring streak with 17:50 left to play before Davis nailed a jumper the next possession to cut the Panther lead to five points.
UNI continued to push the pace after SIU misses in the half extending their lead to as much as 27 points (73-46) with 8:23 left in the game.
The Salukis would close the contest scoring 21 of the final 29 points with Drew Steffe scoring eight points for Southern over the final nine minutes.
Hensley scored a career-high 20 points in the loss for the Salukis with 14 points coming in the first half. He added six rebounds and a block. Dibba was the only other Saluki to score in double-figures after scoring 10 points. Freshman forward Rolyns Aligbe had seven points and a team-high eight rebounds in his first career start.
Southern struggled once again at the charity stripe converting just 7-of-13 attempts at the line. SIU was 8-for-24 from behind the arch in the game and shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the field.
Three Panthers scored in double-digits led by Jacob Huston who had 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Anderson had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Max Weisbrod added 10 points for UNI.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois returns to Banterra Center to host regional foe Evansville to ring in 2025 on Wednesday at 1 p.m. CT. Holiday ticket specials for the New Year's Day game against the Aces can be found HERE. Tickets start at just $4 with no added fees.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by visiting SIUSalukis.com as well as following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" mobile app from the App Store or Google Play Store.
"They were more physical than we were, really on both ends," head coach Scott Nagy said following the loss. "We got off to a better start in this game, but when things got tight, we just couldn't run the offense. They weren't going to let us run what we wanted, and they just played more physical than us on the offensive end."
The Salukis (5-8, 0-2 MVC) got off to one of their best starts to a game this season, jumping out to a 10-4 lead four minutes into action. The big three for the Salukis scored all 10 for the Dawgs led by Jarrett Hensley who had five of his team-high 14 first-half points during the start. Kennard Davis Jr. (3) and Ali Dibba (2) also dropped in points to start.
UNI (8-5, 2-0 MVC) battled back into the game and got the lead to just one point with 9:22 left to play before Southern was able to reel off a 15-6 run of their own to take a 34-25 lead – the teams biggest lead of the game. Southern was able to build on their physicality throughout the half as they forced nine UNI turnovers which they converted into 15 points. Four of UNI's turnovers in the half came during SIU's run midway through the half.
With a chance to extend the lead to 10 points with just over five minutes left, the Salukis would miss a free throw, and UNI would take full advantage over the final moments. Four Panthers would get into the scoring column over a 13-0 run to end the half to give UNI a 38-34 lead. Leon Bond III and Tytan Anderson each scored four points during the stretch.
Coming out of the locker room, UNI extended their lead to nine after scoring the first five points. It was Sheridan Sharp who would snap the UNI scoring streak with 17:50 left to play before Davis nailed a jumper the next possession to cut the Panther lead to five points.
UNI continued to push the pace after SIU misses in the half extending their lead to as much as 27 points (73-46) with 8:23 left in the game.
The Salukis would close the contest scoring 21 of the final 29 points with Drew Steffe scoring eight points for Southern over the final nine minutes.
Hensley scored a career-high 20 points in the loss for the Salukis with 14 points coming in the first half. He added six rebounds and a block. Dibba was the only other Saluki to score in double-figures after scoring 10 points. Freshman forward Rolyns Aligbe had seven points and a team-high eight rebounds in his first career start.
Southern struggled once again at the charity stripe converting just 7-of-13 attempts at the line. SIU was 8-for-24 from behind the arch in the game and shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the field.
Three Panthers scored in double-digits led by Jacob Huston who had 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Anderson had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Max Weisbrod added 10 points for UNI.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois returns to Banterra Center to host regional foe Evansville to ring in 2025 on Wednesday at 1 p.m. CT. Holiday ticket specials for the New Year's Day game against the Aces can be found HERE. Tickets start at just $4 with no added fees.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by visiting SIUSalukis.com as well as following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" mobile app from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Team Stats
SIU
UNI
FG%
.456
.558
3FG%
.333
.412
FT%
.538
.765
RB
28
33
TO
14
13
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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