On Wednesday, Jan. 12, the Salukis men’s basketball team (9-6; MVC 2-1) travelled to Springfield, MO to take on the Missouri State Bears (12-6; MVC 3-2). The Bears won the contest 81-76. 

The first basket of the game was scored by Missouri State junior forward Donovan Clay. Southern Illinois answered almost immediately with a three on the other end from junior guard Steven Verplancken. 

SIU led just 10-6 by the time of the first media timeout, with 15:02 left in the first half. 

The teams went back and forth until SIU jumped out to a seven-point lead, 13-6, with 14:47 left in the first half. They managed to gain this lead after a three-pointer from senior center Anthony D’Avanzo. 

However, after that three, the Bears went on a 9-2 run, which meant Missouri State had tied the game, 15-15, by the second media timeout of the game. This timeout took place with 11:19 left in the first. 

The Bears regained their first lead since the first minute of the game with a three by junior forward Isaiah Mosley out of the break. 

In Missouri State’s last game, Mosley hit a contested three-pointer over two Bradley defenders as the buzzer sounded to beat the Braves. 

Both teams traded buckets to make the score 25-23, Salukis in the lead, with 6:19 left in the half. This was the third media timeout of the game. 

This back and forth affair continued heading into the final media timeout of the first half. This time, SIU fell behind, 31-29, with just 2:32 left in the half. 

The Bears stayed on top, 36-34, as the first half ended. The game had already featured six lead changes up to this point. 

Both teams had shot the ball efficiently in the first half, both teams over 40 percent. Verplancken led all scorers with eleven points.

SIU junior forward Marcus Domask scored the first points of the second half by knocking down two free throws. 

The Bears finally started to pull away from the Salukis as Mosley started to catch fire in the second half. Missouri State held a 46-41 lead with 15:44 left in the second half. This was the first media timeout after halftime. 

Domask and Mosley were the two main focal points of the second half. Both teams designed plays for the veteran forwards to get into open space. 

MSU led 52-46 by the second media timeout of the half, with 11:42 left to go. 

Out of the break, Mosley knocked down a three to put the Bears up by nine, but he was answered immediately by a three from junior guard Trent Brown to keep the margin at six. 

At the third media timeout of the second half, Missouri State led by just three points, 57-54. This left 7:13 on the game clock. 

After this miniature comeback by the Salukis, the Bears responded with a five-point run of their own. This put Missouri State up 61-54. SIU was forced into a timeout with 6:21 left in the game. 

The Salukis tried to pull themselves back into the game, but Missouri’s State managed to keep them down. The Bears led 67-62 with just over two minutes left in the game. 

Southern Illinois managed to cut the score to three, 77-74, with 26 seconds left. 

The Bears prevailed in the end, winning by a score of 81-76.

Mosley was the top performer in the game, with 33 points, 3 rebounds and two steals. The top scorer for the Salukis was Domask, who finished with 20. 

He was assisted by Verplancken and senior forward Ben Coupet, both with 16 of their own. 

The Salukis hope to recover in their next game against the Northern Iowa Panthers at home on Saturday, Jan. 15. This will be SIU’s fourth Missouri Valley Conference game of the season. 

Sports Reporter Cole Daily can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at cdaily_de

To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter 

Advertisement