Bradley Pulls Away From Southern Late in Sunday Matinée

Sunday, February 15

Carbondale, IL

1 PM

Southern Illinois University

12-15,6-10MVC

Bradley

18-9,11-5MVC

Bradley

Southern Ill.

Quel'Ron House

02/15/2026 | 4:14:00 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Behind one possession late, Southern Illinois could not find the key basket or stops needed in a 70-60 loss to Bradley on Sunday.

Quel'Ron House tied his career-high with 26 points to lead Southern, including a 6-for-6 performance from the free-throw line. Shots from distance have been hit-or-miss all season for the Dawgs, who did not make a single three-pointer for the first time since Jan. 3, 2015.

"We were good enough defensively to win the game, we just weren't good enough offensively," Head Coach Scott Nagy said. "When you get open shots, and you don't make them, it really drains your team."

The Braves took control early, opening the game on an 18-6 run. The Salukis fought back quickly, holding BU to just one field goal over the next seven minutes of play.

Both teams eventually settled in, and the defensive slugfest was tied 28-28 at the half with both teams shooting under 40 percent.

A 10-0 Braves run midway through the second half gave them the upper hand late, eventually extending their lead as high as 13 at 48-35.

Down by double digits, Southern stepped up its level of play by ferociously attacking the rim and playing lockdown defense to eventually get the deficit down to one with 6:17 to go. Bradley held the lead and gave themselves more breathing room with a 6-0 run, but the Dawgs kept fighting. Bradley led 63-60 with 2:03 remaining, and SIU needed one stop for a chance to tie or take the lead. Alex Huibregtse nailed a triple on the next possession, which would be all the Braves needed as the Salukis failed to score another point.

"At the end of the day, I think it's just discipline," Davion Sykes said. "I feel like we lose a little focus as a team."

UP NEXT
SIU will begin its Iowa road trip in Des Moines to face Drake on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 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.