Not much could go right for the SIU men’s basketball team in their biggest loss of the season. 

The Salukis, who were playing without Kennard Davis Jr., were demolished by Illinois State 85-54 despite winning the turnover battle. 

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Points were tough to come by for the Salukis, who shot 36% on the game, and only 20% from beyond the arc. Davion Sykes’ season-high 11 were the most by a Saluki, followed by Sheridan Sharp’s 10.

Jarrett Hensley, who went 3-9 on threes, also finished with 10. 

The Salukis were able to draw 23 fouls from Illinois State, including a handful of offensive fouls. However, they weren’t able to convert at the line. The Dawgs shot only 10-23 from the charity strip for a season-worst 43.5%.

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SIU ran a full court press for a good chunk of the second half and was also able to catch ISU in several half court traps, leading to the Salukis collecting 17 turnovers, including 12 steals. They weren’t able to turn those turnovers into points though; the Dawgs scored only 18 points off turnovers. 

Coming into the game, ISU was also struggling heavily on the defensive side of the ball; the Redbirds were last in the Missouri Valley Conference in steals, blocks and turnovers forced per game. 

It didn’t matter against the Salukis; the 54 points SIU scored tied for their second-lowest total of the season, and was the second-fewest Illinois State gave up this season.

The loss moved the Salukis to 5-10 on the season, including 0-4 in the MVC. They will be on the road to face the Belmont Bruins in Nashville on Wednesday, Jan. 8.

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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