Tuesday, February 25
Carbondale, IL
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
13-17,8-11MVC
88
vs
79
Illinois State
17-13,9-10MVC
1
2
F
Illinois St.
35
44
79
Southern Ill.
43
45
88
Recap | Salukis Take Down Illinois State on Senior Night, 88-79
02/25/2025 | 10:22:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Four players scored in double-digits as Southern Illinois basketball picked up an 88-79 win over Illinois State on Senior Night Tuesday inside Banterra Center.
SIU was led by sophomore Kennard Davis Jr. who led all scorers with 24 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds. Ali Dibba added 22 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Jarrett Hensley was the lone senior honored Tuesday, and it was a night to remember for the Merriam, Kansas native. He knocked down the first basket of the game – a 3-pointer from the top of the key – and finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in his final game in Carbondale.
"I'm mostly just happy for Jarrett to be able to have a good senior night and to have something that will be a positive memory for him. It was a lot of fun in the locker room," head coach Scott Nagy said after the game. "He's meant a lot to me because he stayed, trusted me … and it hasn't been a perfect season but like I told the players today, when we build this program, I'll have fond memories of him because he's one of the guys who chose to stay and trust us."
Illinois State guard Dalton Banks nailed a jumper four minutes into play to give the Redbirds (17-13, 9-10 MVC) a 10-6 lead but that was short-lived as Southern Illinois put together its biggest run of the game, scoring 13-straight points to take the lead.
During the stretch that spanned 4:15, the Salukis (13-17, 8-11 MVC) would knock down a trio of SIU's 13 total 3-pointers in the game. Freshman sharpshooter Drew Steffe would hit two triples during the run before finishing the game a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc.
It was Davis who would drive the lane and hammer down a dunk to give Southern an 11-10 lead with 15:02 left on the clock, and the Salukis would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.
The defense played a key role in the first half as SIU held the Redbirds scoreless for nearly five minutes before ISU shot 1-11 from the field during what was a 16-2 Saluki run.
Hensley would finish the first half with a team-high 14 points while going 4-for-8 from behind the arc while Steffe added 12 of 18 points in the opening frame to help the Salukis to a 43-35 lead entering the locker room.
Illinois State's Chase Walker and Malachi Poindexter would keep the Redbirds within striking distance for much of the second half as ILS looked inside for mismatches against Walker. All the duo's 22 combined points would come in the second half of play.
Walker was able to power his way into the paint and draw touch fouls to get to the free-throw line. He would knock down a pair of free throws just three minutes into the second to pull ISU to within three points before SIU answered with a 6-0 run with buckets from Dibba, Hensley, and Davis to push the lead back to nine points.
The Redbirds would not go away though as they battled back to within five points with just over four minutes left to play following a Poindexter triple – one of four for the guard on the night.
It was Davis who would answer though for the Salukis by knocking down triples in back-to-back possessions to ice the game for SIU.
UP NEXT
The Salukis head to Terre Haute for the final game of the regular season against Indiana State on Sunday, March 2. Tip from Hulman Center is set for 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET on ESPN Plus.
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.
SIU was led by sophomore Kennard Davis Jr. who led all scorers with 24 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds. Ali Dibba added 22 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Jarrett Hensley was the lone senior honored Tuesday, and it was a night to remember for the Merriam, Kansas native. He knocked down the first basket of the game – a 3-pointer from the top of the key – and finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in his final game in Carbondale.
"I'm mostly just happy for Jarrett to be able to have a good senior night and to have something that will be a positive memory for him. It was a lot of fun in the locker room," head coach Scott Nagy said after the game. "He's meant a lot to me because he stayed, trusted me … and it hasn't been a perfect season but like I told the players today, when we build this program, I'll have fond memories of him because he's one of the guys who chose to stay and trust us."
Illinois State guard Dalton Banks nailed a jumper four minutes into play to give the Redbirds (17-13, 9-10 MVC) a 10-6 lead but that was short-lived as Southern Illinois put together its biggest run of the game, scoring 13-straight points to take the lead.
During the stretch that spanned 4:15, the Salukis (13-17, 8-11 MVC) would knock down a trio of SIU's 13 total 3-pointers in the game. Freshman sharpshooter Drew Steffe would hit two triples during the run before finishing the game a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc.
It was Davis who would drive the lane and hammer down a dunk to give Southern an 11-10 lead with 15:02 left on the clock, and the Salukis would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.
The defense played a key role in the first half as SIU held the Redbirds scoreless for nearly five minutes before ISU shot 1-11 from the field during what was a 16-2 Saluki run.
Hensley would finish the first half with a team-high 14 points while going 4-for-8 from behind the arc while Steffe added 12 of 18 points in the opening frame to help the Salukis to a 43-35 lead entering the locker room.
Illinois State's Chase Walker and Malachi Poindexter would keep the Redbirds within striking distance for much of the second half as ILS looked inside for mismatches against Walker. All the duo's 22 combined points would come in the second half of play.
Walker was able to power his way into the paint and draw touch fouls to get to the free-throw line. He would knock down a pair of free throws just three minutes into the second to pull ISU to within three points before SIU answered with a 6-0 run with buckets from Dibba, Hensley, and Davis to push the lead back to nine points.
The Redbirds would not go away though as they battled back to within five points with just over four minutes left to play following a Poindexter triple – one of four for the guard on the night.
It was Davis who would answer though for the Salukis by knocking down triples in back-to-back possessions to ice the game for SIU.
UP NEXT
The Salukis head to Terre Haute for the final game of the regular season against Indiana State on Sunday, March 2. Tip from Hulman Center is set for 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET on ESPN Plus.
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
ILS
SIU
FG%
.453
.500
3FG%
.370
.542
FT%
.733
.700
RB
33
34
TO
10
8
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
6
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
1
Pts
17
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
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