The Salukis traveled to Evansville, Indiana on Jan. 29 to take on the Purple Aces at 1 p.m. Southern Illinois currently holds the number one spot in the Missouri Valley Conference.

They would manage to retain that number one spot, as they defeated Evansville handily, 75-62.

The first bucket for the Salukis came at the hands of senior forward Mackenzie Silvey with a mid-range jumper. In SIU’s last contest against Bradley, Silvey became SIU’s all-time leading scorer, passing Cartaesha Macklin at 1779.

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The first couple minutes of the game were split even, both teams made sure their opponent couldn’t jump ahead. By the time of the first media timeout, with 4:34 left in the first quarter, SIU led 8-7.

After the break, SIU managed to separate itself from the Aces. With just over a minute left in the first quarter, Southern Illinois happened to go on a 9-3 run.

The Salukis led 21-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Senior forward Abby Brockmeyer scored a layup off an offensive rebound to open the second quarter. After Brockmeyer’s bucket, both teams went on a dry spell.

That was until a layup from sophomore point guard Quierra Love with 7:37 left in the second quarter. This started another Saluki run, as the Dawgs hit multiple shots to lead 30-14 with 5:20 left in the first half.

By halftime, the Salukis were firmly in control, 35-22.

SIU went on a 4-0 run before the first media timeout of the second half, with 8:45 left in the third quarter. No matter how hard the Purple Aces pushed to get back into the game, the Salukis held them down.

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Southern Illinois held an 11-point lead, 42-31, with 6:02 left in the third quarter. This was the second media timeout of the third quarter.

Evansville managed to cut the Dawgs’ lead to single digits with 2:23 left in the third quarter after a much-needed layup. The Purple Aces held the momentum for a little while until Brockmeyer silenced the crowd with a three with 1:32 on the clock.

The Salukis had regained their significant lead, 58-47, as both teams prepared for the final quarter.

The home team knocked down two free throws early in the fourth quarter. Then, history repeated itself, as both teams went bone dry on the court until 7:11 left in the game with a layup from Silvey.

By the final media timeout of the game, with 4:47 left in the game, SIU led 65-53.

Both teams traded buckets until the final buzzer. In the end, the Salukis came out on top 75-63.

Southern Illinois was led yet again by their three-headed monster of Silvey, Brockmeyer, and senior center Gabby Walker. The Salukis frontcourt has been giving opponents trouble all season.

Silvey finished with 23 points and six rebounds, while Brockmeyer finished with 19 points with 14 boards. Walker racked up 17 points and eight rebounds.

SIU will hope to continue its streak on Friday, Feb. 4, against the Missouri State Bears. The game will take place in the Banterra Center at 6 p.m.

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

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