Sunday, January 4
Nashville, TN
4 PM
Southern Illinois University
8-8,2-3MVC
68
at
67
Belmont
13-3,3-2MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
26
42
68
Belmont
22
45
67
Photo by: Abby Harris
House's go-ahead floater lifts Salukis to win in 68-67 stunner over Belmont
01/04/2026 | 8:01:00 | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Quel'Ron House hit a floater with just 0.1 seconds left to all but clinch the game for Southern Illinois in a wild 68-67 victory over Belmont on Sunday in Nashville.
Southern never trailed in the first half, stretching a lead as high as six. It got a huge jolt from the bench once again, as the unit tallied 32 points on the night. Freshman Jaylen Haynes stepped up on the offensive end, putting up eight points in the first 20 minutes, while sophomore Max Pikaar was key around the rim with six rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Entering the day as the best three-point shooting team in the MVC, the Bruins shot just 1-for-8 from the three-point line in the first half. Additionally, they shot 7-for-14 on free throws.
Southern took a 26-22 lead into the half, forcing the Bruins to make some big adjustments.
The second half had a different pace, as both offenses got going. Belmont's Jabez Jenkins and Southern's Isaiah Stafford went toe-to-toe scoring the basketball. Jenkins had 15 in the frame, while Stafford had 12 off the bench. Stafford had eight-straight points to keep the Dawgs in front as the half began. He credited his teammates' trust as one of the driving forces for his play on the court.
"They poured a lot of trust into me," Stafford said. "Watching them do good helps me stay positive."
Belmont finally got going on offense by attacking the paint, where it scored 34 of its eventual 45 points in the second half. The Bruins shot 71.4% in the final 20 minutes, eventually stretching a lead as high as nine with just 2:44 to go.
Southern trailed by six as the clock ticked under two minutes, but the Salukis stormed back quickly. Belmont turned it over on four-straight possessions, leading to seven Saluki points, eventually taking the lead on a layup from Stafford.
The Bruins' scoreless streak ended as Eoin Dillon hit a turnaround jumper at the elbow to put his team back in front by one with just five seconds remaining. Once again, the Salukis found themselves down in the final seconds of a key road game in The Valley.
SIU's last chance to win sat in the hands of House, who caught the ball cleanly on the inbound, drove the length of the floor, and put up a floater from the right baseline, sinking it as the buzzer sounded. After review, the officials put 0.1 seconds on the clock, only giving BU time for a full-court tip-in shot. The inbound pass was rightfully stolen by Stafford, sealing the victory.
House knew he was getting the ball, no matter what.
"What was the counter gonna be if you couldn't catch it?" Saluki Hall of Famer Rodney Watson asked. "I'll still get the ball," House confidently replied.
Head Coach Scott Nagy credits the defense for making Belmont uncomfortable, pushing them away from the three-point line, while his team shot the ball much better long distance, going 8-for-22.
"We only allowed them to take 12 threes," Nagy said. "I thought we did a good job there, and it was great to see us make some threes too."
House led the Salukis with 15 points, while Davion Sykes and Pikaar grabbed six rebounds each.
The win brings Southern to 8-8 on the season, and 2-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
UP NEXT
The Salukis will play the second leg of their road trip at UIC on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Chicago.
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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Southern never trailed in the first half, stretching a lead as high as six. It got a huge jolt from the bench once again, as the unit tallied 32 points on the night. Freshman Jaylen Haynes stepped up on the offensive end, putting up eight points in the first 20 minutes, while sophomore Max Pikaar was key around the rim with six rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Entering the day as the best three-point shooting team in the MVC, the Bruins shot just 1-for-8 from the three-point line in the first half. Additionally, they shot 7-for-14 on free throws.
Southern took a 26-22 lead into the half, forcing the Bruins to make some big adjustments.
The second half had a different pace, as both offenses got going. Belmont's Jabez Jenkins and Southern's Isaiah Stafford went toe-to-toe scoring the basketball. Jenkins had 15 in the frame, while Stafford had 12 off the bench. Stafford had eight-straight points to keep the Dawgs in front as the half began. He credited his teammates' trust as one of the driving forces for his play on the court.
"They poured a lot of trust into me," Stafford said. "Watching them do good helps me stay positive."
Belmont finally got going on offense by attacking the paint, where it scored 34 of its eventual 45 points in the second half. The Bruins shot 71.4% in the final 20 minutes, eventually stretching a lead as high as nine with just 2:44 to go.
Southern trailed by six as the clock ticked under two minutes, but the Salukis stormed back quickly. Belmont turned it over on four-straight possessions, leading to seven Saluki points, eventually taking the lead on a layup from Stafford.
The Bruins' scoreless streak ended as Eoin Dillon hit a turnaround jumper at the elbow to put his team back in front by one with just five seconds remaining. Once again, the Salukis found themselves down in the final seconds of a key road game in The Valley.
SIU's last chance to win sat in the hands of House, who caught the ball cleanly on the inbound, drove the length of the floor, and put up a floater from the right baseline, sinking it as the buzzer sounded. After review, the officials put 0.1 seconds on the clock, only giving BU time for a full-court tip-in shot. The inbound pass was rightfully stolen by Stafford, sealing the victory.
House knew he was getting the ball, no matter what.
"What was the counter gonna be if you couldn't catch it?" Saluki Hall of Famer Rodney Watson asked. "I'll still get the ball," House confidently replied.
Head Coach Scott Nagy credits the defense for making Belmont uncomfortable, pushing them away from the three-point line, while his team shot the ball much better long distance, going 8-for-22.
"We only allowed them to take 12 threes," Nagy said. "I thought we did a good job there, and it was great to see us make some threes too."
House led the Salukis with 15 points, while Davion Sykes and Pikaar grabbed six rebounds each.
The win brings Southern to 8-8 on the season, and 2-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
UP NEXT
The Salukis will play the second leg of their road trip at UIC on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Chicago.
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
BEL
FG%
.433
.540
3FG%
.364
.250
FT%
.615
.500
RB
34
30
TO
18
16
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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