SIU guard Ali Dibba poured in a season-high 27 points, but it ultimately didn’t matter.
The Salukis fell at home to the High Point University Panthers, dropping them to 5-7 overall.
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To SIU head coach, there wasn’t much to say about the Salukis 13-point loss.
“They just came in and whipped us, Nagy said. “They showed us no respect, and why would they? We haven’t earned it, that’s the frustrating thing, and that’s what I’m bothered by.”
While the Dawgs trailed by as much as 19, they were able to chip away at the Panthers’ lead towards the end of the first half and in the beginning of the second, led in that span by guard Davion Sykes, who put up 10 points in only 22 minutes.
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Sykes was instrumental in the beginning of the Salukis’ biggest run on High Point, knocking down two free throws, grabbing the rebound at the other end, making a block, and taking a hard drive to the hole before having an offensive foul called.
Nagy, in his disbelief about Sykes’ offensive foul, drew a technical foul, though High Point didn’t convert on either free throw.
Antwaun Massey, who came off the bench and was thought by Nagy to have played better as a result of it, then made a jumper, followed by three quick points from Davis Jr. to draw within seven, SIU’s closest margin of the second half.
High Point had an answer though. Juslin Bodo Bodo, on his first basket of the game, slammed the door on a Saluki comeback as he rocked the rim with a dunk.
Throughout the entire game, a familiar downfall arose for the Salukis: poor defense. High Point shot nearly 58% from the floor, led by D’Mau Williams’ 24 points.
High Point, who are 12-2 and coming off of a conference championship last season, scored the most points of any SIU opponent this season, getting whatever they wanted on the offensive end to the tune of 94 points.
The Panthers were especially devastating inside, pounding the Salukis for 50 points in the paint. The gap could’ve even been worse, considering High Point shot only 65.5% from the charity stripe.
Nagy said that the Salukis also struggled on the offensive side of the floor, something he isn’t accustomed to as a coach.
“I haven’t coached very many teams that struggle offensively like this team does, but again, it’s our job to help them not struggle. I’m not going to complain about the players,” Nagy said.
Kennard Davis Jr. had a tough game, shooting only two for eight from the floor and converting on eight free throws to total 13 points.
After the Salukis come back from a brief break for the holidays, Nagy is looking to change one thing: communication.
“Between the staff, the players, making sure people understand what game plans are. Simple things like calling a play and four guys know it and one guy doesn’t. All it takes is one guy not to know, and it just continues to happen over and over. At some point, you go, ‘Well, maybe it’s not their fault, it’s my fault,’” Nagy said.
The Salukis will be back in action for the true start of Missouri Valley Conference play on Dec. 29, when they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to play the University of Northern Iowa.
Sports reporter 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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