Saturday, February 17
Carbondale, IL
6 PM
Southern Illinois University
17-10,9-7MVC
74
vs
69
Indiana State
22-5,13-3MVC
1
2
F
Indiana St.
37
32
69
Southern Ill.
31
43
74
Photo by: Saluki Athletic Communications
Recap | Salukis Take Down No. 23 Indiana State
02/17/2024 | 9:28:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois captured the Banterra Magic Saturday night as the Salukis defeated No. 23-ranked Indiana State 74-69 to earn its first win over a ranked team at home since 2013 against Wichita State.
"An amazing atmosphere – couldn't have done it without the community, the fans, the Dawg Pound – it's a special place out there and our guys had an incredible spirit about themselves tonight," head coach Bryan Mullins said after the win. "What we do works – it works at the highest level – and when we play like that, we can beat anyone."
The Salukis (17-10, 9-7 MVC) trailed Indiana State by as many as 13 points in the game before rallying back to secure the win. Offense was key for the Salukis, especially in the second half but defense proved to be the deciding factor as Southern held the high-powered Sycamore offense to just 69 points.
"The second-half defense was phenomenal," Mullins said. "To hold that team to 38 percent to go along with some of the big plays we had at the end … that's winning basketball, that's championship level basketball, that's a Sunday at Arch Madness type game."
Mullins continued, "Our guys played the right way on both sides of the ball, we executed offensively, we took care of the ball in the second half, and they were instinctive when it came to attacking pressure with pressure, they played confident – a really resilient group."
Southern was able to cut into what was a 13-point Indiana State (22-5, 13-3 MVC) lead with about six minutes left in the first half. SIU used a 9-2 run capped off by a tip-in with 0.9 seconds left off the hands of forward Jarrett Hensley to go into the locker room down just six points at 37-31.
The Salukis would continue to battle in the second half led by their defense. With a crowd of over 6,000 fully into the game, AJ Ferguson finished off an 8-0 Saluki run with a tomahawk dunk off a steal to put the Salukis ahead 46-43 forcing an ISU timeout.
The Sycamores would answer the SIU run with a 6-0 run of their own after going to big man Robbie Avila on three consecutive possessions to regain the lead. Avila led all scorers with 30 points on the night, including 19 in the first half.
Down the stretch it was contributions from Troy D'Amico and Kennard Davis Jr. kept SIU in the game. D'Amico found the soft spot in ISU's zone and made them pay with nine second-half points, including a triple. Davis Jr., a true freshman for the Salukis was lights out in the second half, scoring all 12 of his points in the final 20 minutes.
The St. Louis native knocked down a pair of 3-pointers while also drawing the defensive assignment on ISU's Isaiah Swope who entered the game leading the team with 17.7 points per game. Swope was held to just six points on 2-for-10 shooting.
Xavier Johnson put the Salukis ahead for good with a layup with 53 seconds left and SIU went on to score the next four points to seal the game.
Hensley was strong off the bench, making one of the biggest plays of the game in crunch time. Swope was able to get loose for what looked like an open layup with under 15 seconds left but Hensley was able to swat away the attempt and Johnson corralled the loose ball to close it out at the charity stripe.
Johnson led the Salukis with 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. D'Amico had 15 points and four assists while Davis had 12 off the bench to go with five rebounds. Ferguson was solid with nine points, eight rebounds and a team-high four steals.
The Salukis were able to take care of the basketball – turning it over only seven times while forcing the Sycamores into 16 turnovers which SIU was able to convert into 14 points. Southern also outscored Indiana State on the fast break, 17-7.
UP NEXT
The Salukis return to action on Wednesday night when Murray State comes to town for a 7 p.m. tipoff. 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.
"An amazing atmosphere – couldn't have done it without the community, the fans, the Dawg Pound – it's a special place out there and our guys had an incredible spirit about themselves tonight," head coach Bryan Mullins said after the win. "What we do works – it works at the highest level – and when we play like that, we can beat anyone."
The Salukis (17-10, 9-7 MVC) trailed Indiana State by as many as 13 points in the game before rallying back to secure the win. Offense was key for the Salukis, especially in the second half but defense proved to be the deciding factor as Southern held the high-powered Sycamore offense to just 69 points.
"The second-half defense was phenomenal," Mullins said. "To hold that team to 38 percent to go along with some of the big plays we had at the end … that's winning basketball, that's championship level basketball, that's a Sunday at Arch Madness type game."
Mullins continued, "Our guys played the right way on both sides of the ball, we executed offensively, we took care of the ball in the second half, and they were instinctive when it came to attacking pressure with pressure, they played confident – a really resilient group."
Southern was able to cut into what was a 13-point Indiana State (22-5, 13-3 MVC) lead with about six minutes left in the first half. SIU used a 9-2 run capped off by a tip-in with 0.9 seconds left off the hands of forward Jarrett Hensley to go into the locker room down just six points at 37-31.
The Salukis would continue to battle in the second half led by their defense. With a crowd of over 6,000 fully into the game, AJ Ferguson finished off an 8-0 Saluki run with a tomahawk dunk off a steal to put the Salukis ahead 46-43 forcing an ISU timeout.
The Sycamores would answer the SIU run with a 6-0 run of their own after going to big man Robbie Avila on three consecutive possessions to regain the lead. Avila led all scorers with 30 points on the night, including 19 in the first half.
Down the stretch it was contributions from Troy D'Amico and Kennard Davis Jr. kept SIU in the game. D'Amico found the soft spot in ISU's zone and made them pay with nine second-half points, including a triple. Davis Jr., a true freshman for the Salukis was lights out in the second half, scoring all 12 of his points in the final 20 minutes.
The St. Louis native knocked down a pair of 3-pointers while also drawing the defensive assignment on ISU's Isaiah Swope who entered the game leading the team with 17.7 points per game. Swope was held to just six points on 2-for-10 shooting.
Xavier Johnson put the Salukis ahead for good with a layup with 53 seconds left and SIU went on to score the next four points to seal the game.
Hensley was strong off the bench, making one of the biggest plays of the game in crunch time. Swope was able to get loose for what looked like an open layup with under 15 seconds left but Hensley was able to swat away the attempt and Johnson corralled the loose ball to close it out at the charity stripe.
Johnson led the Salukis with 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. D'Amico had 15 points and four assists while Davis had 12 off the bench to go with five rebounds. Ferguson was solid with nine points, eight rebounds and a team-high four steals.
The Salukis were able to take care of the basketball – turning it over only seven times while forcing the Sycamores into 16 turnovers which SIU was able to convert into 14 points. Southern also outscored Indiana State on the fast break, 17-7.
UP NEXT
The Salukis return to action on Wednesday night when Murray State comes to town for a 7 p.m. tipoff. 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
INS
SIU
FG%
.442
.459
3FG%
.280
.222
FT%
.889
.857
RB
34
29
TO
16
7
STL
3
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
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