For the SIU men’s basketball team, there’s no such thing as a runaway game against Oklahoma State. 

Staying true to the nature of their previous two matchups, which were decided by a combined three points, the Dawgs were within four points in the last minute.

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After trailing by as much as 18, the Salukis made it interesting in the last four minutes of the game, going on a 18-6 run highlighted off by Kennard Davis putting in five straight points and Ali Dibba knocking down three free throws before the Cowboys put the game out of reach with only  seconds left.

“We outrebounded them, we shot 50%… there’s a lot of things we did well,” Nagy said. 

It was ultimately the same issues that have hurt SIU all season ultimately sunk the Salukis in Stillwater.

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“The whole game was turnovers. We know that’s been a problem for us,” Nagy said.

The Dawgs were plagued by turnovers in the first half, as Oklahoma State’s relentless, fast-twitch defense forced 10 turnovers. 

“It’s what cost us the game, and we all know it,” Nagy said. 

The Salukis were able to combat these by shooting an efficient 53.6% from the floor, led by Elijah Elliott’s eight points in the frame. 

A last-second three-pointer by Elliott left the Dawgs down one at the end of the first half, and with Elliott red-hot, in a seemingly good position to keep the game close in the second half. 

Though he returned to the game, an untimely injury to Elliott, who made five three-pointers on the day, left the Saluki offense floundering for much of the early second half. The Cowboys went on a quick 10-0 run, fueled by three fast-break opportunities.

SIU had spurts of good defense, but Oklahoma State was able to put together four runs of at least five points. The Salukis were able to answer with runs of their own, but outside of some short bursts were unable to put together any amount of consistent offense outside of the last four minutes.

The turnovers decreased for the Dawgs in the second half, but they still gave up another eight, leaving their game total at 18. A whopping 35% of the Cowboys’ points came off of turnovers, and if they weren’t turning the ball over, they were up in SIU’s face and earning deflections. 

Another problem began rearing its head in the second half too; poor paint defense. In the game, OSU put up 44 points in the lane, led by Abou Ousmane’s 15 in that area.

Ousmane feasted on SIU down low, and was able to help the Cowboy’s capitalize on the offensive glass against the Salukis. Though SIU outrebounded OK State in the game, 36-33, the Cowboys put in 17 second chance points, especially hurting SIU in the second half.

One of the biggest differences in this game for the Dawgs was their inability to get to the free throw line. SIU attempted only 11 free throws, and converted on five, good for a 45.5% clip.

Tonight’s victory was the first time Oklahoma State had beaten SIU in Gallagher Arena in over 60 years, and was their first win in the all-time series since 2005.

SIU will come back home and try to right the ship as they face the North Dakota State Bison in the Banterra Center on Monday, Nov. 18 at 7:00 PM.

Sports consultant Ryan Grieser can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook and on X @dailyegyptian.

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