Looking to bounce back after their first loss of the season, it took only 24 seconds for guard Quel’Ron House to hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring for the Salukis against North Dakota State on Monday, Nov. 17 in Fargo.

The Salukis struggled to stop the Bison early on as North Dakota State scored on each of their first six possessions, jumping out to a 15-9 lead four and a half minutes into the game.

Coming out of the first media timeout, head coach Scott Nagy put a whole new lineup in the game. The gamble paid off, as the second unit immediately forced back-to-back turnovers as part of a 9-0 run to give the Salukis an 18-15 lead. The Bison settled back in to retake a 21-20 lead with 11:49 left in the first half.

After struggling from the 3-point line in last year’s contest at Banterra Center, the Bison didn’t have that problem this time around. Five different players combined for nine made 3-pointers on 12 attempts to extend their lead to 39-29.

North Dakota State cooled down from behind the arc during the next segment, but the Salukis couldn’t take advantage, facing a 47-36 deficit only three minutes before halftime.

Guards Damari Wheeler-Thomas and Tay Smith were a big part of the huge first half for the Bison, combining for 28 points. House and guard Davion Sykes combined for 21 points to keep the Salukis within 53-46 at the half.

“We shot 63% in the first half and we were down seven. Absolute joke,”  Nagy said in his postgame interview with Saluki Radio.

The Bison came out of the locker room cold, starting 1-8 from the field and 0-4 from 3-point distance. That helped SIU chip away at the lead, which stood at 61-56 North Dakota State with 15:15 left in the game.

The Salukis continued to battle on both sides of the ball, and a 58.3% shooting percentage halfway through the second half brought them within 64-62.

With seven minutes to go, forward Rolyns Aligbe made a layup to give the Salukis a 74-72 lead, their first since seven minutes into the contest. Wheeler-Thomas immediately answered on the other end to tie the game back up heading into the penultimate media timeout.

Both defenses locked in for the next three minutes, only allowing one field goal between the two. That left the game tied 77-77 with 3:39 left to play.

The timeout gave both offenses the reset they needed, and the Bison jumped out to an 85-81 lead with 1:44 left before the Salukis called a timeout.

A 3-pointer from guard Trevion Carson extended the lead to 88-83 for the Bison with 37 seconds left and all but iced it.

Free throws for the Bison and a last-ditch basket from House finalized the score 92-85 in favor of North Dakota State.

House scored 23 points to lead the Salukis in the loss. He was joined in double figures by Sykes (14), Aligbe (12), guard Isaiah Stafford (12), and guard Damien Mayo Jr. (11).

“Personally, I feel like we gave one away,” Sykes said in a postgame interview with Saluki Radio.

Despite scoring 85 points, the Salukis continued to struggle from the 3-point line, shooting 21.4% compared to the Bison’s 45.7%. Sykes and Aligbe also tied for the team lead in rebounds with seven each.

The now 2-2 Salukis have to wait six days before they can try to stop their skid. They play the first of two games in Jacksonville, Florida Sunday, Nov. 23 against the Delaware Blue Hens.

Sports Reporter Eli Hoover can be found at [email protected] or on Instagram at @hoovermakesart

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