Southern Illinois University
Austin Peay
Strong Second Half Propels Salukis Past Austin Peay in Exhibition Opener
10/17/2025 | 9:56:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois men's basketball overcame a slow start to defeat Austin Peay, 84-79, in an exhibition matchup Friday night at Banterra Center.
"Our guys were very excited to play, but once the game started, our adrenaline just went flat ... but what we saw in the second, in terms of effort, will be more like, hopefully, what we'll see from our team," head coach Scott Nagy said. "They were just physically whipping us in the first half ... in the second half, we flipped that."
The Salukis trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half but found their rhythm after the break. Sophomore guard Quel'Ron House led the way with 29 points on 8-of-13 shooting. For House, a transfer from Jacksonville State, this was his first experience in front of the home fans at Banterra Center.
"The fans came out, everything was loud, so it was good," House said. "When adversity hits, we just have to stay together."
SIU entered halftime down 45-35 but outscored the Governors 49-34 in the second half, locking in defensively and shooting nearly 60 percent from the field. The Salukis held Austin Peay to just 27 percent from 3-point range.
Sophomore forward Rolyns Aligbe contributed 16 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Isaiah Stafford added 11 points and went 8-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Southern Illinois dominated the paint late, finishing with a 36-26 advantage inside and outscoring Austin Peay 15-6 on fast breaks. The Salukis were aggressive and physical, converting 32-of-49 free throws—a major improvement from their 9-of-19 performance in the first half. They also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds after managing just two before halftime.
"It's the way we play. We're trying to get to the free throw line," Nagy said.
Austin Peay led for more than 25 minutes, fueled by six 3-pointers and 17 points from freshman Tyler Wagner. But SIU took control midway through the second half and never relinquished the lead.
The Salukis return to action Oct. 29 for an exhibition road game against Lindenwood.
