Late-Game Belmont Surge Downs Salukis, 83-64

Monday, March 2

Nashville, TN

6:30 P.M.

Southern Illinois University

9-19,6-13MVC

Belmont

18-11,14-4MVC

Southern Ill.

Belmont

Kynnedi Davis (#2) and Alayna Kraus (#0)

Photo by: Peter Borkowski

03/02/2026 | 8:35:00 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Peter Borkowski

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For their third game in five days, Southern Illinois women's basketball (9-19, 6-13) traveled to Nashville to face the Bruins of Belmont (18-11, 14-4). After a tight 25 minutes or so, the Bruins eventually pulled away to hand an 83-64 loss to Southern.

Inside the Box Score

Jeniah Thompson had a solid game, dropping 17 points while snagging eight boards.
Alayna Kraus was SIU's second-highest scorer with her 15.
Indya Green had a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double, her ninth of the season.

How it Happened

First Quarter
Southern jumped out to a quick 4-0 in 50 seconds thanks to buckets from Kayla Cooper and Green. Belmont got on the board 26 seconds later with a two before a two-plus minute scoring drought hit both teams. SIU ended that drought with a Thompson jumper at 6:24 on the clock to make it 6-2.

Belmont scored again to make it a one-possession game, but a 6-0 run by SIU quickly meant they were tripling up the Bruins, 12-4. Four of the next six points belonged to Belmont to make it a 14-8 game, but SIU kept the pressure up, scoring at 1:34 to double up the Bruins 16-8.

A Bruin three pulled them back within five before they went on a 4-2 run to end the quarter. At the first break, SIU led 17-15.

Second Quarter
Belmont came out and tied the game at 17-17 just 11 seconds into the quarter before scoring again just over a minute later to take a 19-17 lead. Another Belmont shot found its way through the hoop at 8:31 to make it a two-possession game, but SIU struck back almost immediately to pull back within two.

Southern knotted the game up at 21-21 with 7:37 on the clock thanks to a Thompson bucket before a Bruin three put them back in front by a trio of points. A Green layup brought SIU back within one, but another Bruin score made it a three-point difference again.

After nearly a minute without scoring, Karris Allen hit a pair of freebies to make it a one-point difference again. However, Belmont struck back to bump their lead back up to three. Southern finally broke through at the 3:31 mark, with back-to-back makes by Hiba Malkawi and Kynnedi Davis put the Salukis in front, 29-28.

The Bruins responded with a four-point run of their own and they added a three on top of it to build a 35-29 lead. The scoring run continued for Belmont, who added another four unanswered points to go up by double digits, 39-29. Cooper stopped the Belmont run with a jumper at 0:25 as that proved to be the final basket of the half. Heading into the locker room, the Salukis trailed Belmont 39-31.

Third Quarter
The Bruins scored off a turnover to start the second half and added a three-pointer on top of that to take a commanding 13-point advantage. Davis made a layup to cut into that lead, and, following a Belmont score, SIU dropped six straight points to pull back within seven. Belmont cashed in another three thought to make it double-digits again.

At 4:58, Kraus hit a pair of free throws to make it single digits again, 49-41. That lead turned back into 11 thanks to another Belmont threeball, but Southern immediately responded with a Kraus make from beyond the arc to set the score at 52-44 with just over three minutes to play in the quarter.

Kraus struck again about a minute later to keep chipping into the Bruin lead, but, as they had been doing all game, Belmont responded with a longball to go up by nine. Belmont hit a layup on their next possession to get their lead back into double digits, but Davis hit on a jumper to bring the deficit back within 10.

With just six seconds left on the clock, Green got slapped with a technical foul after already committing a foul. The Bruins hit three of their four free throws to take a 60-48 lead over Southern into the final 10 minutes of regulation.

Fourth Quarter
The Bruins did not let up to start the final frame of play, potting the first nine points of the quarter to take a whooping 21-point lead. At 7:24, Green grabbed Southern's first points of the quarter, but the Bruins picked up right where they left off with another six unanswered points to build a 75-50 advantage.

SIU ended that run with a pair of freebies courtesy of Kraus, and a Thompson three-pointer made it a 20-point game, 75-55. That did not last long though as Belmont hit on a tough shot to back up 22. The teams swapped buckets until the final buzzer sounded, with SIU standing on the wrong end of an 83-64 loss.

Up Next
Southern closes the regular season on Sunday, March 8, with a trip to Evansville. Tipoff for that game is slated for 2 p.m.

Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_WBasketball, on Instagram at @SIU_WBasketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.