Southern Illinois University
5-2,0-0American
UAB
3-3,0-0MVC
Southern falls to UAB in Jacksonville
11/24/2025 | 3:55:00 | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If every game has three parts — the start, the middle and the end — Southern Illinois hopes to build off the middle of its 81-73 loss to UAB at the Jacksonville Classic presented by Just Play.
The Salukis started cold on a warm afternoon, falling behind by as many as 13 points, 22-9, midway through the first half. Although SIU heated up as the half went on, it stayed ice cold from 3-point range, finishing 1-for-10 from beyond the arc in the half.
"We're a bad shooting team right now," head coach Scott Nagy said. "We just can't shoot it right now."
Still, the Salukis persisted, and mere minutes later, they briefly took the lead, 31-30, when Jalen Haynes assisted Davion Sykes for an easy layup. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, and UAB went into halftime ahead 36-35.
"Early in the game, we weren't very good (closing out on 3s)," Nagy said. "We finally got our guys in gaps, and we were a lot better."
Southern carried momentum early in the second half when Damien Mayo Jr. grabbed a loose ball and slammed home two points for a 37-36 lead. But it didn't last. The Blazers capitalized on nearly every opportunity, pushing the lead back to 11 points midway through the period.Â
SIU clawed back to within three with just over two minutes remaining, but UAB sealed the win with clutch 3-pointers and strong free-throw shooting. The Salukis couldn't match 3s with UAB and finished the game with a series of long-range misses, ending 4-for-23 from deep.Â
"When the game was close ... they hit a couple big contested 3s ... and we can't throw it in the ocean right now," Nagy said.
The Dawgs struggled mightily on the glass, giving up 16 offensive rebounds to the Blazers. Overall, SIU lost the rebounding battle, 45-36.Â
"It was the entire game. Rebounding was the difference in the game," Nagy said.Â
Quel'Ron House led the Salukis in scoring for the fifth time in six games, finishing with 18 points. Senior Prince Aligbe added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Sykes scored 10.
KyeRon Lindsay-Martin paced UAB with 25 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 10-for-11 from the field. Jacob Meyer added 20 points, including four 3-pointers.
With the loss, SIU falls to 3-3 and faces Memphis at 7 p.m. Wednesday at FedExForum.
