Friday, March 7
St. Louis, MO
12 PM
Southern Illinois University
14-19,8-12MVC
53
vs
70
No. 1 Drake
28-3,17-3MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
25
28
53
Drake
36
34
70
Photo by: Abby Harris
Recap | Southern Illinois Falls to Top-Seeded Drake in MVC Quarterfinals
03/07/2025 | 3:28:00 | Men's Basketball
ST. LOUIS - Despite a strong effort from Ali Dibba, No. 8 seed Southern Illinois couldn't overcome top-seeded Drake, falling 70-53 in the Missouri Valley Conference quarterfinals Friday afternoon at Enterprise Center.
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Postgame Press Conference
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Dibba led the Salukis (14-19, 8-12 MVC) with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while Drew Steffe added 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Kennard Davis Jr. contributed 10 points, but Southern Illinois struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 5-of-18 attempts.
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Southern was without the services of starting guard Damien Mayo Jr. who suffered an injury in against Indiana State Thursday and was out due to concussion protocol.
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The Salukis kept pace early, tying the game four times in the first half, but Drake (28-3, 17-3 MVC) used an 11-1 run to break open a 27-17 lead. SIU was held scoreless for the final 3:22 of the half as Drake extended its lead to 36-25 heading into the locker room.
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SIU battled in the second half, cutting into the deficit at times, but turnovers proved costly as the Bulldogs capitalized for 19 points off SIU's 15 giveaways.
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Drake, led by Isaia Howard's 21 points off the bench, maintained control throughout the second half, using its depth to outscore SIU 31-6 in bench points. The Bulldogs also held a 36-24 edge in points in the paint.
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Southern Illinois showed fight on the boards, with Davion Sykes grabbing a team-high eight rebounds and the team pulling down 32 rebounds to Drake's 34.
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Drake was led by Isaia Howard, who scored 21 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers. Bennett Stirtz added 15 points and five assists, and Tavion Banks posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
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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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Postgame Press Conference
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Dibba led the Salukis (14-19, 8-12 MVC) with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while Drew Steffe added 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Kennard Davis Jr. contributed 10 points, but Southern Illinois struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 5-of-18 attempts.
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Southern was without the services of starting guard Damien Mayo Jr. who suffered an injury in against Indiana State Thursday and was out due to concussion protocol.
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The Salukis kept pace early, tying the game four times in the first half, but Drake (28-3, 17-3 MVC) used an 11-1 run to break open a 27-17 lead. SIU was held scoreless for the final 3:22 of the half as Drake extended its lead to 36-25 heading into the locker room.
Â
SIU battled in the second half, cutting into the deficit at times, but turnovers proved costly as the Bulldogs capitalized for 19 points off SIU's 15 giveaways.
Â
Drake, led by Isaia Howard's 21 points off the bench, maintained control throughout the second half, using its depth to outscore SIU 31-6 in bench points. The Bulldogs also held a 36-24 edge in points in the paint.
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Southern Illinois showed fight on the boards, with Davion Sykes grabbing a team-high eight rebounds and the team pulling down 32 rebounds to Drake's 34.
Â
Drake was led by Isaia Howard, who scored 21 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers. Bennett Stirtz added 15 points and five assists, and Tavion Banks posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
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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
DRA
FG%
.422
.439
3FG%
.278
.304
FT%
.625
.591
RB
32
34
TO
15
6
STL
3
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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