Monday, December 29
Murray, KY
6 PM
Southern Illinois University
6-8,0-3MVC
81
at
84
Murray State
11-3,3-0MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
34
47
81
Murray St.
47
37
84
Isaiah Stafford
Photo by: Tom Weber
Comeback Effort Falls Short; Southern Drops to 0-3 in Valley Play at Murray State, 84-81
12/29/2025 | 9:21:00 | Men's Basketball
MURRAY, Ky. - Southern Illinois men's basketball overcame a 20-point deficit, but could not complete the comeback, dropping to 0-3 in Missouri Valley conference play, losing the game 84-81.Â
A close contest early, the Racers exploded on a 14-0 run late in the first half, extending their lead to as much as 20 late in the half. Roman Domon was key in the run, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first 20 minutes.
Down 45-25, Southern Illinois finished the half on a 9-2 run as Prince Aligbe tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer, cutting the deficit to 13. The run was a sign of things to come, as he would be the driving force of SIU's improved play in the second half.
With just over 12 minutes to go, Damien Mayo Jr. cut the lead to six with a clutch three, forcing a Murray State timeout. The three would be part of a 10-0 Saluki run, capped off by three-point play from Davion Sykes, who converted the free throw to make it a 59-58 game with still over nine minutes to go. Drew Steffe tied the game at 64 with a four-point play after being fouled on a three-pointer.
Southern would only make three from downtown on the night, but took just eight, doing a majority of their work on the inside scoring 56 points in the paint.
Despite the rapid comeback, Southern could never take the lead. Southern got the game back to a one-point deficit with under four minutes to go, but a quick six points from Murray State put them in desperation mode down 79-72. Prince Aligbe did everything he could to give Southern a chance to win, scoring nine points in a row for the Salukis. Down by four with 11 seconds to go, Davion Sykes would bring the game to a two-point deficit with just 4.7 seconds on the clock.
The Salukis K.J. Tenner on the inbound play, and he split the double bonus, giving Southern Illinois one more chance to draw up a play to tie the game down by three. Mayo Jr. got a look on the right wing, but his shot did not fall, and Southern suffered another heartbreaking loss in Valley play.
Head Coach Scott Nagy is proud of his team's effort, but warns about his team doubting themselves in late-game situations.
"We guarded the heck out of them in the second half," Nagy said. "What starts to happen now is doubt leaks in when you get in to some of these things."
Prince Aligbe tied a career high with 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
The loss drops SIU to 6-8 on the season and 0-3 in MVC play.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will look to regroup at home against Valparaiso on Jan. 1, for its New Year's Bash.
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.
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A close contest early, the Racers exploded on a 14-0 run late in the first half, extending their lead to as much as 20 late in the half. Roman Domon was key in the run, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first 20 minutes.
Down 45-25, Southern Illinois finished the half on a 9-2 run as Prince Aligbe tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer, cutting the deficit to 13. The run was a sign of things to come, as he would be the driving force of SIU's improved play in the second half.
With just over 12 minutes to go, Damien Mayo Jr. cut the lead to six with a clutch three, forcing a Murray State timeout. The three would be part of a 10-0 Saluki run, capped off by three-point play from Davion Sykes, who converted the free throw to make it a 59-58 game with still over nine minutes to go. Drew Steffe tied the game at 64 with a four-point play after being fouled on a three-pointer.
Southern would only make three from downtown on the night, but took just eight, doing a majority of their work on the inside scoring 56 points in the paint.
Despite the rapid comeback, Southern could never take the lead. Southern got the game back to a one-point deficit with under four minutes to go, but a quick six points from Murray State put them in desperation mode down 79-72. Prince Aligbe did everything he could to give Southern a chance to win, scoring nine points in a row for the Salukis. Down by four with 11 seconds to go, Davion Sykes would bring the game to a two-point deficit with just 4.7 seconds on the clock.
The Salukis K.J. Tenner on the inbound play, and he split the double bonus, giving Southern Illinois one more chance to draw up a play to tie the game down by three. Mayo Jr. got a look on the right wing, but his shot did not fall, and Southern suffered another heartbreaking loss in Valley play.
Head Coach Scott Nagy is proud of his team's effort, but warns about his team doubting themselves in late-game situations.
"We guarded the heck out of them in the second half," Nagy said. "What starts to happen now is doubt leaks in when you get in to some of these things."
Prince Aligbe tied a career high with 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
The loss drops SIU to 6-8 on the season and 0-3 in MVC play.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will look to regroup at home against Valparaiso on Jan. 1, for its New Year's Bash.
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.
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Team Stats
SIU
MUR
FG%
.485
.509
3FG%
.375
.370
FT%
.706
.762
RB
38
32
TO
13
14
STL
10
8
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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