Wednesday, February 5
Evansville, IN
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
11-13,6-7MVC
68
at
59
Evansville
9-15,6-7MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
38
30
68
Evansville
23
36
59
Recap | Salukis Withstand Second Half Run at Evansville to Down Aces, 68-59
02/05/2025 | 9:41:00 | Men's Basketball
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Southern Illinois basketball evened the season series with Evansville after knocking off the Aces, 68-59, Wednesday night at Ford Center. The win marked the fourth-straight road win in the Missouri Valley Conference for Southern – the first time SIU has won four-straight MVC road games since 2015-16.
Postgame Presser
The big three delivered for the Salukis in Evansville as Jarrett Hensley and Ali Dibba went for 18 each while Kennard Davis Jr. scored 14.
A dominant first-half effort was what the Salukis (11-13, 6-7 MVC) put together on both ends of the floor en route to a 38-23 first-half lead. SIU was on fire from the start from behind the arc and finished the first 20 minutes with a season-high 10 triples. Hensley went 4-for-5 from deep in the first half while Davis was 3-for-5.
On the other side, SIU held Evansville to just 28.1 percent (9-32) from the floor, including 2-for-12 from behind the arc.
Evansville did not fold though as the Aces cut the Saluki lead to four points in the second half at 50-46 with 6:49 left to play. During the stretch, the Aces strung together a 17-1 run to get the crowd going once again. The Salukis turned the ball over four times and went scoreless for 6:30 minutes during the run.
It was a heads-up play from Damien Mayo Jr. that snapped the UE run as he caught a tipped ball off a 3-pointer and put it in to extend the SIU lead back to six. Southern was able to lock in on the defensive end late while Dibba knocked in a pair of 3-pointers to ice the game.
Dibba scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half of the game while Mayo added five points in the second.
Southern outrebounded the Aces in the game 42-39, but it was the prowess on the glass from the SIU guards that proved to be a difference in the game. Davis (9), Drew Steffe (8), Mayo (7), and Dibba (7) combined for 31 of Southern's 42 boards.
Southern ended the game with a season-high 15 3-pointers – surpassing the previous mark of 13 earlier this season at Belmont. Five Salukis hit multiple triples in the game.
Tayshawn Comer scored a game-high 25 points for the Aces. He finished 7-for-19 from the field to go with five assists and four rebounds.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois plays host to UIC on Saturday, February 8. Tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT from Banterra Center. The Salukis will need "The 618" in the important matchup with tickets starting at just $6.18 for the Saturday matinee using promo code "The618" at SIUSalukis.com/Promo.
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.
Postgame Presser
The big three delivered for the Salukis in Evansville as Jarrett Hensley and Ali Dibba went for 18 each while Kennard Davis Jr. scored 14.
A dominant first-half effort was what the Salukis (11-13, 6-7 MVC) put together on both ends of the floor en route to a 38-23 first-half lead. SIU was on fire from the start from behind the arc and finished the first 20 minutes with a season-high 10 triples. Hensley went 4-for-5 from deep in the first half while Davis was 3-for-5.
On the other side, SIU held Evansville to just 28.1 percent (9-32) from the floor, including 2-for-12 from behind the arc.
Evansville did not fold though as the Aces cut the Saluki lead to four points in the second half at 50-46 with 6:49 left to play. During the stretch, the Aces strung together a 17-1 run to get the crowd going once again. The Salukis turned the ball over four times and went scoreless for 6:30 minutes during the run.
It was a heads-up play from Damien Mayo Jr. that snapped the UE run as he caught a tipped ball off a 3-pointer and put it in to extend the SIU lead back to six. Southern was able to lock in on the defensive end late while Dibba knocked in a pair of 3-pointers to ice the game.
Dibba scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half of the game while Mayo added five points in the second.
Southern outrebounded the Aces in the game 42-39, but it was the prowess on the glass from the SIU guards that proved to be a difference in the game. Davis (9), Drew Steffe (8), Mayo (7), and Dibba (7) combined for 31 of Southern's 42 boards.
Southern ended the game with a season-high 15 3-pointers – surpassing the previous mark of 13 earlier this season at Belmont. Five Salukis hit multiple triples in the game.
Tayshawn Comer scored a game-high 25 points for the Aces. He finished 7-for-19 from the field to go with five assists and four rebounds.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois plays host to UIC on Saturday, February 8. Tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT from Banterra Center. The Salukis will need "The 618" in the important matchup with tickets starting at just $6.18 for the Saturday matinee using promo code "The618" at SIUSalukis.com/Promo.
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
SIU
Evans
FG%
.375
.344
3FG%
.517
.333
FT%
.733
.571
RB
42
39
TO
11
8
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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