Saturday, February 3
Chicago, IL
1 PM
Southern Illinois University
15-8,7-5MVC
74
at
71
UIC
8-15,1-11MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
31
43
74
UIC
35
36
71
Recap | Men's Basketball moves into fourth place with comeback win at UIC, 74-71
02/03/2024 | 3:35:00 | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO — Southern Illinois erased a seven-point deficit in the final four minutes to beat UIC on Saturday, 74-71, and move into sole possession of fourth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
Xavier Johnson led the Salukis (15-8, 7-5) with 29 points and converted 18-of-20 free throws. Johnson, who drew 16 fouls in the contest, made 10-of-10 free throws during SIU's 14-4 run to close out the game.
AJ Ferguson added 16 points and 10 rebounds and scored four points during the game-winning run. It was his free throws with 21 seconds left that put SIU ahead, 72-71.
UIC's Isaiah Rivera, who scored 28 points, was well-defended on a missed shot attempt with 1.8 seconds left, and Johnson sealed the win with a pair of free throws.
"I thought our guys had great energy, great communication, and really a strong will and belief that they were going to find a way to win," said SIU head coach Bryan Mullins. "I thought we made (Rivera) take a tough two there at the end of the game.
In a tightly officiated game with 55 total fouls called, SIU was whistled for a season-high 26 fouls, and the Flames (8-15, 1-11) were called for 29. Southern committed a season-high 18 turnovers, but only three in the second half.
"Kind of a different game with all of the fouls and turnovers," Mullins said. "Just to be able to fight back and find a way to win those last three minutes shows a lot of poise and maturity from our group."
In the final five minutes of play, the only field goal by either team was made on a driving layup by Ferguson with 2:32 remaining. The rest of the scoring came from the free throw line, and SIU won that battle, 14-8, with 12 of the charity tosses coming from Johnson.
"Against UIC, you've got to be able to have some guys who can break down the defense and get paint touches," Mullins explained. "X showed big-time heart in being able to draw fouls and get to the free throw line for us."
The Salukis trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, but they started the second half with a 14-3 run and took a 45-38 lead on a Trent Brown 3-pointer with 14:18 remaining.
With Southern up by eight points on an RJ McGee layup with 10:34 to go, UIC countered with a 13-0 run to regain control of the game. The Flames made a living at the free throw line, converting 25-of-27 on the day.
"We got off to a great start in the second half, but give (UIC) credit, they came back," Mullins said.
With four weeks left in the regular season, 12 teams are jockeying for seeding at the annual Arch Madness tournament in St. Louis. The top-four seeds are rewarded with a first-round bye at the tournament.
Southern will try to strengthen its position when it travels to preseason favorite Drake on Wednesday night.
Xavier Johnson led the Salukis (15-8, 7-5) with 29 points and converted 18-of-20 free throws. Johnson, who drew 16 fouls in the contest, made 10-of-10 free throws during SIU's 14-4 run to close out the game.
AJ Ferguson added 16 points and 10 rebounds and scored four points during the game-winning run. It was his free throws with 21 seconds left that put SIU ahead, 72-71.
UIC's Isaiah Rivera, who scored 28 points, was well-defended on a missed shot attempt with 1.8 seconds left, and Johnson sealed the win with a pair of free throws.
"I thought our guys had great energy, great communication, and really a strong will and belief that they were going to find a way to win," said SIU head coach Bryan Mullins. "I thought we made (Rivera) take a tough two there at the end of the game.
In a tightly officiated game with 55 total fouls called, SIU was whistled for a season-high 26 fouls, and the Flames (8-15, 1-11) were called for 29. Southern committed a season-high 18 turnovers, but only three in the second half.
"Kind of a different game with all of the fouls and turnovers," Mullins said. "Just to be able to fight back and find a way to win those last three minutes shows a lot of poise and maturity from our group."
In the final five minutes of play, the only field goal by either team was made on a driving layup by Ferguson with 2:32 remaining. The rest of the scoring came from the free throw line, and SIU won that battle, 14-8, with 12 of the charity tosses coming from Johnson.
"Against UIC, you've got to be able to have some guys who can break down the defense and get paint touches," Mullins explained. "X showed big-time heart in being able to draw fouls and get to the free throw line for us."
The Salukis trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, but they started the second half with a 14-3 run and took a 45-38 lead on a Trent Brown 3-pointer with 14:18 remaining.
With Southern up by eight points on an RJ McGee layup with 10:34 to go, UIC countered with a 13-0 run to regain control of the game. The Flames made a living at the free throw line, converting 25-of-27 on the day.
"We got off to a great start in the second half, but give (UIC) credit, they came back," Mullins said.
With four weeks left in the regular season, 12 teams are jockeying for seeding at the annual Arch Madness tournament in St. Louis. The top-four seeds are rewarded with a first-round bye at the tournament.
Southern will try to strengthen its position when it travels to preseason favorite Drake on Wednesday night.
Team Stats
SIU
UIC
FG%
.458
.444
3FG%
.222
.375
FT%
.788
.926
RB
30
26
TO
18
18
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
29
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
18
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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