The Salukis hosted the Alcorn State Braves on Saturday, December 10 in the Banterra Center where they would go on to win, 74-68. This is the second of a four-game homestand for the Dawgs.

Both teams could’ve hoped for a better opening to the game. It took a while for both offenses to get going in this one. By the time of the first media timeout, the score read 2-5 (SIU lead), with 15:45 left on the board.

It continued to be a slugfest for much of the first half, with both teams going blow for blow. With 7:27 left in the first half, Alcorn State held a loose 21-20 lead.

The first half was kind to senior Lance Jones, as he had a barrage of threes start to go in before the half. Freshman Cade Hornecker also had his impact felt, with a posterizing dunk he sent through the net, causing the Dawg Pound to erupt.

The dunk by Hornecker would give the Salukis a momentum boost as they headed to the tunnel for halftime, the game tied 30-30.

The second half is when both teams wanted to prove themselves. It started with a barrage of scoring. Jones and __ Clarence Rupert quickly put in two layups before the Braves answered by going on a 9-4 run just four minutes into the second half.

The Salukis would not go down without a fight. They regained the lead with 13:50 left to go in the second half, but would inevitably give it right back before the first media timeout of the second half with 11:45 on the clock.

Yet again the Dawgs would crawl back into the game. Neither team would hold a lead by more than five until there was just 2:28 left in the game after __ Jawuan Newton made a fastbreak layup to put the Salukis on top 68-61.

The Braves answered with a tough bucket on the other end, but Jones would find Rupert for a monumental drop-step dunk on the very next play, which would seal Alcorn State’s fate.

Alcorn State would foul for an attempt at a late-game comeback, but it was unsuccessful. The Salukis won the game 74-68 when the buzzer sounded.

Jones, Domask, and Newton all contributed a valiant effort to help SIU secure the win. Jones finished with 18 points, five rebounds and two steals; while Domask finished with 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Off the bench, Newton put up 12 points, two assists and two rebounds on the night.

The Salukis will play their next game on Tuesday, December 13 against Lincoln University. This game will be held in the Banterra Center at 7 p.m.

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

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