Saturday, January 25
Chicago, IL
2 PM
Southern Illinois University
9-12,4-6MVC
89
at
85
UIC
13-7,6-4MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
46
43
89
UIC
46
39
85
Photo by: Tim McCaughan
Recap | Salukis Grit Out Road Win in Chicago Against UIC, 89-85
01/25/2025 | 7:11:00 | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO – Southern Illinois basketball rallied late to knock off UIC, 89-85, Saturday afternoon at Credit Union 1 Arena. With the win, Southern has now won four of their last five games and improved to 9-12 overall and is tied for seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference at 4-6.
"Proud of the kids. We fought, we weren't great defensively, but it was a good offensive team we were playing. We played fast and had a really good pace to us which I really liked," head coach Scott Nagy said after the game.
It was a battle from the start in a game that featured 12 lead changes and nearly nine minutes of action with a score tied. When it counted though, Southern made it happen late.
Trailing UIC by five points with 5:04 left to play Southern was able to get five-straight points to tie the game over the next 1:20. Kennard Davis Jr. knocked down a step-back midrange jumper before Ali Dibba converted a basket with a foul on the next possession.
Down two with under a minute remaining to play it was Damien Mayo Jr. who made one of the biggest plays of the game saving a loose ball out of bounds and throwing it off a UIC player to keep possession with SIU.
The Salukis would make that play even bigger when Davis drove the lane and finished with contact to tie the game before knocking in the go-ahead free throw to make it an 83-82 SIU lead with 39.9 left to play.
Mayo would draw the assignment on the other end of the floor against UIC's leading scorer in the game in Jordan Mason. The junior would deliver again forcing a miss on Jordan's layup before Jarrett Hensley corralled the loose ball and drew the foul.
"To be down with under two minutes to go and have and the kids fight back – the play (Damien) Mayo made to save the ball we got three points out of that," Nagy added. "With as many things as our kids have been through it would have been easy for them to cave it in and they didn't."
SIU would close out the game at the free throw line where the Salukis shot 19-for-26 during the game, including 17or-21 in the second half.
Both squads battled to a 46-46 tie at halftime with the two teams shooting over 55 percent from the floor. Both Dibba (12) and Davis (11) were in double-digits at the break. Southern had just two offensive boards in the first half before pulling down eight offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes of action.
Southern would get strong performances off the bench as players battled foul trouble early. Jorge Moreno put together his best game in an SIU uniform with six points and four rebounds battling in the paint. Sheridan Sharp had five points and led the Salukis with six assists off the bench while Davion Sykes played 21 minutes scoring four but also leading the team with six boards.
SIU would finish the game shooting 55 percent (33-60) from the floor while UIC was 50 percent (28-56) from the field. The Salukis would outscore UIC in the paint 54-32 while winning the rebounding battle 36-28. SIU's 10 offensive boards were cashed in for 17 second-chance points while UIC scored just seven points from their offensive rebounds.
Dibba led the Salukis with 26 points to go along with four rebounds, and three assists in his return to the Windy City after completing his first season at Chicago State. Davis put in 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Mayo put up strong numbers with eight points, six rebounds and five assists.
Mason led UIC with 23 points on 8-for-16 from the field to go with a team-high seven assists.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois heads to Valparaiso for a Tuesday meeting with the Beacons. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT from the ARC.
Following the Valpo game, SIU returns home to face Drake on Saturday, Feb. 1. The game will be a "White Out" and be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. Tickets start at just $10 with no added fees this season and can be purchased at SIUSalukis.com/Tickets or by calling 877-SALUKIS.
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.
"Proud of the kids. We fought, we weren't great defensively, but it was a good offensive team we were playing. We played fast and had a really good pace to us which I really liked," head coach Scott Nagy said after the game.
It was a battle from the start in a game that featured 12 lead changes and nearly nine minutes of action with a score tied. When it counted though, Southern made it happen late.
Trailing UIC by five points with 5:04 left to play Southern was able to get five-straight points to tie the game over the next 1:20. Kennard Davis Jr. knocked down a step-back midrange jumper before Ali Dibba converted a basket with a foul on the next possession.
Down two with under a minute remaining to play it was Damien Mayo Jr. who made one of the biggest plays of the game saving a loose ball out of bounds and throwing it off a UIC player to keep possession with SIU.
The Salukis would make that play even bigger when Davis drove the lane and finished with contact to tie the game before knocking in the go-ahead free throw to make it an 83-82 SIU lead with 39.9 left to play.
Mayo would draw the assignment on the other end of the floor against UIC's leading scorer in the game in Jordan Mason. The junior would deliver again forcing a miss on Jordan's layup before Jarrett Hensley corralled the loose ball and drew the foul.
"To be down with under two minutes to go and have and the kids fight back – the play (Damien) Mayo made to save the ball we got three points out of that," Nagy added. "With as many things as our kids have been through it would have been easy for them to cave it in and they didn't."
SIU would close out the game at the free throw line where the Salukis shot 19-for-26 during the game, including 17or-21 in the second half.
Both squads battled to a 46-46 tie at halftime with the two teams shooting over 55 percent from the floor. Both Dibba (12) and Davis (11) were in double-digits at the break. Southern had just two offensive boards in the first half before pulling down eight offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes of action.
Southern would get strong performances off the bench as players battled foul trouble early. Jorge Moreno put together his best game in an SIU uniform with six points and four rebounds battling in the paint. Sheridan Sharp had five points and led the Salukis with six assists off the bench while Davion Sykes played 21 minutes scoring four but also leading the team with six boards.
SIU would finish the game shooting 55 percent (33-60) from the floor while UIC was 50 percent (28-56) from the field. The Salukis would outscore UIC in the paint 54-32 while winning the rebounding battle 36-28. SIU's 10 offensive boards were cashed in for 17 second-chance points while UIC scored just seven points from their offensive rebounds.
Dibba led the Salukis with 26 points to go along with four rebounds, and three assists in his return to the Windy City after completing his first season at Chicago State. Davis put in 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Mayo put up strong numbers with eight points, six rebounds and five assists.
Mason led UIC with 23 points on 8-for-16 from the field to go with a team-high seven assists.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois heads to Valparaiso for a Tuesday meeting with the Beacons. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT from the ARC.
Following the Valpo game, SIU returns home to face Drake on Saturday, Feb. 1. The game will be a "White Out" and be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. Tickets start at just $10 with no added fees this season and can be purchased at SIUSalukis.com/Tickets or by calling 877-SALUKIS.
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
UIC
FG%
.550
.500
3FG%
.286
.417
FT%
.731
.679
RB
36
28
TO
11
10
STL
4
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
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