For the second straight game, the SIU men’s basketball team was lights-out from 3-point range enroute to extinguishing the Flames of UIC 79-67 on Feb. 8, 2025.
Drew Steffe led the charge for the Dawgs from three, converting on 4-of-5 3-pointers on his way to 20 points.
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Kennard Davis Jr. continued his hot streak from beyond the arc, going 4-for–6 and finishing with a team-high 23 points.
“Our guys are starting to settle down. We’re shooting the ball better… and it’s making a difference,” head coach Scott Nagy said. “Much more confidence.”
The Salukis were quiet to start the game, and UIC played them close through the first 13 minutes. Neither team could get much going on offense; with seven left in the half, the score was 12-9 Dawgs.
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“We were very bad offensively the first 10, 12 minutes a game. It was a rock fight,” Nagy said.
Rolyns Aligbe broke a three-minute scoreless streak with a layup, and Davis Jr. hit his first 3-pointer of the game. While UIC was starting to score too, Davis Jr. answered with another 3 at the 4:32 mark.
The Salukis continued to pour it on via buckets from Damien Mayo Jr., Davis Jr. and threes by Steffe and Jarrett Hensley to finish the half, taking an 8-point lead into halftime.
“When we’re playing bad offensively, and we’re winning, there’s part of me that just loves… you go into half and we’re not even at 1 point per possession. We were 34 possessions, we had 30 points, they had 22,” Nagy said.
The Salukis saw some defensive lapses in the second half that allowed the Flames to get back into the game, though.
“We started messing around ‘cause the game got a little bit outta hand. And that’s when I lost my mind, turn the ball over, they end up shooting 52% in the second half,” Nagy said.
The Dawgs put on an offensive show in the second half; they scored 49 points in the half, led by Steffe’s 17 in the period. Steffe was a big part of the Salukis shooting 75% from 3-point range, and he also hit six free throws.
The Salukis (12-13, 7-7 MVC) were able to start another winning streak, and are the winners of seven of their last nine. They face off with Bradley on the road on Feb. 12 at 6 p.m.
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.
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