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.
Postgame Press Conference
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Press Conference
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
DRA
FG%
.422
.439
3FG%
.278
.304
FT%
.625
.591
RB
32
34
TO
15
6
STL
3
11
Game Leaders
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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