Saturday, January 17
Carbondale, IL
6 PM
Southern Illinois University
8-11,2-6MVC
68
vs
73
Belmont
17-3,7-2MVC
1
2
F
Belmont
32
41
73
Southern Ill.
24
44
68
Drew Steffe
Photo by: Abby Harris
Belmont Owns Final Stages to Defeat Salukis, 73-68
01/17/2026 | 9:42:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois surrendered two late 12-0 runs in each half in a gut-wrenching 73-68 loss to the Belmont Bruins on Saturday night in Carbondale.
Southern received a combined 46 points from Drew Steffe and Jaylen Haynes, who had 24 and 22 points, respectively, both career-highs. The effort was much-needed with the absences of guards Quel'Ron House and Isaiah Stafford heading into the game.
The Salukis had one of their better shooting nights from long range, shooting 9-for-25 (36%) from beyond the arc, the most threes they had made since dropping in 10 at High Point on Dec. 3, 2025.
A three-pointer from Steffe gave the Salukis a 24-20 lead with 5:24 in the first half, but that would be their final bucket before the break. Their final eight possessions resulted in two turnovers and six missed shots. The Bruins took advantage, overcoming their own shooting woes en route to their first 12-0 run, taking a 32-24 lead into the half.
Belmont carried that momentum into the second half, holding a steady lead before Steffe took over the game. The redshirt sophomore scored 14 of Southern's next 17 points, giving Southern a 54-50 lead at the under-eight media timeout.
As the Bruins fought back, Steffe passed the torch to Haynes, who scored Southern's next seven points and got the Banterra Center rocking with a three to put his team up 62-57 with 4:41 to go. Unfortunately for the Salukis, the final minutes of the second half sang a similar tune to the first one. SIU did not score on their next six possessions, and once again Belmont took advantage with another 12-0 spurt to lead by seven with 20 seconds to go. Haynes broke the streak with another triple, but it was too little too late, and the Bruins would get revenge on the Salukis, stealing the game 73-68.
Steffe spoke to Saluki Radio's Luke Martin about what his team needs to change in late-game situations.
"We've just gotta get stops down the stretch," he said. "We've just gotta step on their necks and just go get easy buckets and go guard."
Despite another painful loss, Head Coach Scott Nagy believes this trying period will ultimately benefit his team in the future.
"I really think, and I told our players this, that if they'll hang in there, we will look back on this and see the blessings that are gonna come from it, and I really do believe that," he said.
SIU falls to 8-11 overall and 2-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
UP NEXT
The Salukis will head to Northwest Indiana to take on Valparaiso Wednesday, Jan 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 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.
Southern received a combined 46 points from Drew Steffe and Jaylen Haynes, who had 24 and 22 points, respectively, both career-highs. The effort was much-needed with the absences of guards Quel'Ron House and Isaiah Stafford heading into the game.
The Salukis had one of their better shooting nights from long range, shooting 9-for-25 (36%) from beyond the arc, the most threes they had made since dropping in 10 at High Point on Dec. 3, 2025.
A three-pointer from Steffe gave the Salukis a 24-20 lead with 5:24 in the first half, but that would be their final bucket before the break. Their final eight possessions resulted in two turnovers and six missed shots. The Bruins took advantage, overcoming their own shooting woes en route to their first 12-0 run, taking a 32-24 lead into the half.
Belmont carried that momentum into the second half, holding a steady lead before Steffe took over the game. The redshirt sophomore scored 14 of Southern's next 17 points, giving Southern a 54-50 lead at the under-eight media timeout.
As the Bruins fought back, Steffe passed the torch to Haynes, who scored Southern's next seven points and got the Banterra Center rocking with a three to put his team up 62-57 with 4:41 to go. Unfortunately for the Salukis, the final minutes of the second half sang a similar tune to the first one. SIU did not score on their next six possessions, and once again Belmont took advantage with another 12-0 spurt to lead by seven with 20 seconds to go. Haynes broke the streak with another triple, but it was too little too late, and the Bruins would get revenge on the Salukis, stealing the game 73-68.
Steffe spoke to Saluki Radio's Luke Martin about what his team needs to change in late-game situations.
"We've just gotta get stops down the stretch," he said. "We've just gotta step on their necks and just go get easy buckets and go guard."
Despite another painful loss, Head Coach Scott Nagy believes this trying period will ultimately benefit his team in the future.
"I really think, and I told our players this, that if they'll hang in there, we will look back on this and see the blessings that are gonna come from it, and I really do believe that," he said.
SIU falls to 8-11 overall and 2-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
UP NEXT
The Salukis will head to Northwest Indiana to take on Valparaiso Wednesday, Jan 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 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
BEL
SIU
FG%
.419
.362
3FG%
.200
.360
FT%
.696
.850
RB
41
37
TO
9
12
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
9
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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