Ninety-five points was certainly not what the SIU men’s basketball team was hoping to give up in their last regular season game, which they lost 95-77 to Indiana State on the road.
The total from their March 2 matchup with Indiana State represented a season-worst and slammed the brakes on any momentum they had built after a big win against Illinois State.
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The Salukis had not given up 90 or more points since losing at Belmont on Jan. 8, when they gave up 90.
The Sycamores couldn’t miss in the first half, shooting a blistering 64.5% from the floor on their way to 52 first half points, including making six 3-pointers in the period and fighting to 26 points in the paint.
The Salukis never led in the game, but they hung tight with Indiana State through the first 12 minutes of play, finding themselves down only 29-23. Kennard Davis Jr. kept the Dawgs in with 10 points in this span, and Davion Sykes also had 8 points with 2 steals. Sykes finished the game with a season-high 12 points.
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The slim margin ended there. The Sycamores ended the half on a 22-8 run, blowing the game wide open and finding themselves up 21 at the break.
The Saluki offense struggled mightily on the day. While they shot 45.8% overall, they hit only 27.8% of their 3-pointers and shot a horrendous 18-33 from the free throw line, good for a 54.5% clip.
Ali Dibba in particular struggled from the stripe, converting on only two of his eight shots. While he is normally a 68.9% free throw shooter, his six misses were tied for the most in a single game in his career.
Jarrett Hensley had a rough day, scoring only 3 points and making a single shot from the floor. He also played only 18 minutes, his third-lowest of the season, due to early foul trouble in the first half.
The Sycamores were once again efficient in the second half, making over 50% of their shots and putting up an additional 43 points, led by Samage Teel’s 10. Teel was the leading scorer in the game with 20 points.
Steffe warmed up in the second half for the Dawgs, putting up 10 points, but it was too little too late. The Salukis were only able to cut into Indiana State’s lead by 3 points, and fell 95-77.
The loss dropped SIU to 13-18 and 8-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference. While seeding has yet to be announced, the Salukis will play on Thursday, March 6, as they cannot rise above the eight seed.
Sports reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook.
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