Southern Illinois University
2-1,0-0MVC
Nevada
3-0,0-0Mountain West
SIU falls short in back-and-forth battle in Nevada
11/13/2025 | 1:21:00 | Men's Basketball
RENO, Nev. — The lead changed hands 24 times Wednesday night in Reno, but the Wolf Pack prevailed, 86-81, in an overtime heartbreaker for the Salukis.
Southern Illinois led by three with 13 seconds left in regulation before Corey Camper Jr. buried an open 3-pointer to tie the game at 72. Quel'Ron House drove to the basket on the final possession, but his shot rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra period, the Salukis went cold at the free-throw line, and Nevada sealed the win. House fouled out with one minute left in OT — the only minute he didn't play — after logging 44 minutes.
The game was physical and fast-paced, a style that suits coach Scott Nagy's Salukis. But on this night, key shots didn't fall, and SIU came up short.
House led SIU with 22 points and seven assists. Isaiah Stafford added 14 points before fouling out, and Drew Steffe scored a season-high 10. Jorge Moreno grabbed a team-best nine rebounds and scored seven points, while Prince Aligbe posted nine points and seven boards. Davion Sykes chipped in six points and eight rebounds.
As Nagy promised, SIU's rotation was thinner than in its opening wins over McKendree and UMKC. Seven Salukis — House, Steffe, Stafford, Moreno, Sykes, Damien Mayo Jr., and Prince Aligbe — played at least 20 minutes. Rolyns Aligbe logged 16 minutes but battled early foul trouble. True freshman Jalen Haynes played seven minutes, and redshirt freshman Jaheem Webber saw three. Max Pikaar and Caden Hawkins did not play.
Despite the pace, turnovers were scarce — eight for SIU and four for Nevada.
Tayshawn Comer, an Evansville transfer, led Nevada with 23 points. Camper Jr. scored 20, and Elijah Prince posted a double-double with 17 points and 19 rebounds. Despite Prince's dominance, Nevada outrebounded SIU by only three, 52-49. The Wolf Pack shot 35 percent from the field but attempted 78 shots, including 33 from 3-point range.
SIU falls to 2-1 and faces a quick turnaround, playing at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, at North Dakota State. Nevada improves to 3-0.
