Wednesday, January 14
Carbondale, IL
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
8-10,2-5MVC
73
vs
76
Drake
9-9,3-4MVC
1
2
OT 1
F
Drake
26
41
9
76
Southern Ill.
37
30
6
73
Jorge Moreno
Photo by: Abby Harris
Southern Falters Late as Drake Steals Game in Overtime
01/14/2026 | 10:49:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. -Â Southern Illinois could not put the game away in regulation and lost 76-73 to Drake in overtime on Wednesday night.
The Salukis drop to 8-10 on the season, and 2-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
A lack of three-point shooting was the theme for the Dawgs once again, who shot just 3-for-26 from beyond the arc.
"At some point, you've got to be able to shoot the basketball," Head Coach Scott Nagy said. "Our kids are playing hard; at some point, you've got to put the ball in the basket."
Few played as hard as Rolyns Aligbe, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds on the night. Seven of his boards came on the offensive end. Aligbe spoke to Saluki Radio's Luke Martin about his team's mindset when gaining a big lead.
"I'm just more disappointed, we got it up to 17 at one point in the game, and I just feel like we always get comfortable for some odd reason," he said. "When we get comfortable, we think we're better than what we are, and we haven't proved anything yet, so I don't know why we would feel like that."
A back-and-forth contest early, Southern pulled away late in the first half, going on a 12-2 run to close the frame and leading by 11 at the break. The team carried momentum early into the second half, stretching the lead out to 17 with 17:37 to go.
The Bulldogs quickly got back into the game, bringing themselves within 10 with over 13 minutes to go. Southern kept them at arm's length for the next 10 minutes and led by nine with 3:28 on the clock.
Drake then embarked on a 9-0 spurt, tying the game with 1:47 left, and eventually holding a 67-65 lead with 12 seconds remaining.Â
Needing one basket to tie, Southern went back to Quel'Ron House, who drove down the right side of the court and drew a foul with a chance to tie with the double-bonus. He sank both free throws, and Jalen Quinn missed a potential buzzer-beater to send the game to overtime, tied at 67.
Points were at a premium in overtime as both teams struggled to score as the period went on. Quinn's go-ahead layup put Drake ahead by 1 with 24 seconds left, and his steal with under 10 seconds to go all but sealed the contest, as Southern could not get off a clean shot down by three after he hit two free throws.
Damien Mayo Jr. led the Salukis with 19 points, and House collected seven steals on the night, tied for the fifth-most by a Saluki in a single game in program history.
UP NEXT
The Salukis will stay home and host Belmont on Saturday, Jan 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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.
The Salukis drop to 8-10 on the season, and 2-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
A lack of three-point shooting was the theme for the Dawgs once again, who shot just 3-for-26 from beyond the arc.
"At some point, you've got to be able to shoot the basketball," Head Coach Scott Nagy said. "Our kids are playing hard; at some point, you've got to put the ball in the basket."
Few played as hard as Rolyns Aligbe, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds on the night. Seven of his boards came on the offensive end. Aligbe spoke to Saluki Radio's Luke Martin about his team's mindset when gaining a big lead.
"I'm just more disappointed, we got it up to 17 at one point in the game, and I just feel like we always get comfortable for some odd reason," he said. "When we get comfortable, we think we're better than what we are, and we haven't proved anything yet, so I don't know why we would feel like that."
A back-and-forth contest early, Southern pulled away late in the first half, going on a 12-2 run to close the frame and leading by 11 at the break. The team carried momentum early into the second half, stretching the lead out to 17 with 17:37 to go.
The Bulldogs quickly got back into the game, bringing themselves within 10 with over 13 minutes to go. Southern kept them at arm's length for the next 10 minutes and led by nine with 3:28 on the clock.
Drake then embarked on a 9-0 spurt, tying the game with 1:47 left, and eventually holding a 67-65 lead with 12 seconds remaining.Â
Needing one basket to tie, Southern went back to Quel'Ron House, who drove down the right side of the court and drew a foul with a chance to tie with the double-bonus. He sank both free throws, and Jalen Quinn missed a potential buzzer-beater to send the game to overtime, tied at 67.
Points were at a premium in overtime as both teams struggled to score as the period went on. Quinn's go-ahead layup put Drake ahead by 1 with 24 seconds left, and his steal with under 10 seconds to go all but sealed the contest, as Southern could not get off a clean shot down by three after he hit two free throws.
Damien Mayo Jr. led the Salukis with 19 points, and House collected seven steals on the night, tied for the fifth-most by a Saluki in a single game in program history.
UP NEXT
The Salukis will stay home and host Belmont on Saturday, Jan 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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
DRA
SIU
FG%
.403
.360
3FG%
.235
.115
FT%
.720
.667
RB
44
47
TO
14
8
STL
5
10
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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