Thursday, March 6
St. Louis, MO
12 PM
Southern Illinois University
14-18,8-12MVC
86
vs
85
No. 9 Indiana State
14-18,8-12MVC
1
2
F
Indiana St.
43
42
85
Southern Ill.
47
39
86
Photo by: Abby Harris
Recap | Salukis Edge Indiana State in Thriller to Open Arch Madness; Face Drake Friday
03/06/2025 | 4:14:00 | Men's Basketball
ST. LOUIS – No. 8 Southern Illinois secured a thrilling 86-85 victory over No. 9 Indiana State in the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Thursday afternoon at Enterprise Center.
A layup by Samage Teel gave Indiana State an 85-84 edge with 1:09 left. After a traveling violation on Jarrett Hensley with 49.6 seconds left, the Sycamores missed an opportunity to extend their lead, but Jaden Daughtry misfired on a three-point shot with 28 seconds left.
The game featured 11 ties and 15 lead changes, but it was SIU that would come away with the most important lead change of the game in the final seconds. Davion Sykes' layup - off a feed from Hensley - with 4.1 seconds left proved to be the difference as ISU's heave from halfcourt was off.
Ali Dibba led the way for Southern Illinois (14-18), delivering a stellar 30-point performance on 13-of-24 shooting while also grabbing nine rebounds. Kennard Davis Jr. battled foul trouble throughout the game but still provided a crucial scoring boost with 22 points, connecting on four three-pointers, while Drew Steffe and Hensley each contributed 10 points to round out a balanced offensive attack.
The Salukis came out strong, shooting 58.1 percent in the first half and taking a 47-43 lead into the break. Indiana State kept pace behind the efforts of Aaron Gray, who dominated inside and out with a game-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Camp Wagner added 11 points, while three other Sycamores, Samage Teel, K'mani Doughty, and Bruno Alocen, each finished with 10 points.
The second half saw both teams trade baskets in a back-and-forth battle. Southern would take a 13-point lead quickly after halftime but the Sycamores would rally back to get right back in the game with a 14-2 run to tie the game at 69.
Southern Illinois finished the night shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, while Indiana State hit 50 percent of its shots and 38.5 percent from deep. The Salukis also outrebounded the Trees 37-29, which proved pivotal in the tight contest.
Indiana State's Aaron Gray led the Sycamores with a 27-points in the loss.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will be back in action Friday at noon as the Salukis face top-seeded Drake. To view Tournament Central click HERE.
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.
A layup by Samage Teel gave Indiana State an 85-84 edge with 1:09 left. After a traveling violation on Jarrett Hensley with 49.6 seconds left, the Sycamores missed an opportunity to extend their lead, but Jaden Daughtry misfired on a three-point shot with 28 seconds left.
The game featured 11 ties and 15 lead changes, but it was SIU that would come away with the most important lead change of the game in the final seconds. Davion Sykes' layup - off a feed from Hensley - with 4.1 seconds left proved to be the difference as ISU's heave from halfcourt was off.
Ali Dibba led the way for Southern Illinois (14-18), delivering a stellar 30-point performance on 13-of-24 shooting while also grabbing nine rebounds. Kennard Davis Jr. battled foul trouble throughout the game but still provided a crucial scoring boost with 22 points, connecting on four three-pointers, while Drew Steffe and Hensley each contributed 10 points to round out a balanced offensive attack.
The Salukis came out strong, shooting 58.1 percent in the first half and taking a 47-43 lead into the break. Indiana State kept pace behind the efforts of Aaron Gray, who dominated inside and out with a game-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Camp Wagner added 11 points, while three other Sycamores, Samage Teel, K'mani Doughty, and Bruno Alocen, each finished with 10 points.
The second half saw both teams trade baskets in a back-and-forth battle. Southern would take a 13-point lead quickly after halftime but the Sycamores would rally back to get right back in the game with a 14-2 run to tie the game at 69.
Southern Illinois finished the night shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, while Indiana State hit 50 percent of its shots and 38.5 percent from deep. The Salukis also outrebounded the Trees 37-29, which proved pivotal in the tight contest.
Indiana State's Aaron Gray led the Sycamores with a 27-points in the loss.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will be back in action Friday at noon as the Salukis face top-seeded Drake. To view Tournament Central click HERE.
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
INS
SIU
FG%
.500
.537
3FG%
.385
.429
FT%
.625
.625
RB
29
37
TO
8
10
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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