The Saluki men’s basketball squad traveled to Valparaiso, Indiana on Wednesday, Jan. 21 to take on the Valparaiso Beacons. The Salukis came into the night looking to snap a 3-game losing streak, but trailed in the final 34 minutes – and by as many as 21 points – in what ended up being a 69-63 defeat. The loss dropped SIU to 2-7 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

The already shorthanded Salukis, down guards Isaiah Stafford and Quel’Ron House, had forward Rolyns Aligbe hobble off the floor very early on. Aligbe was able to return a short time later, and his brief absence wasn’t the only woe for SIU – or the Beacons. There was a lid on the basket for both squads from the tip, and it took over a minute and a half for either team to score.

SIU held a slim 6-5 lead after five minutes, but Valpo then went on a 17-2 tear. Guard Justus McNair was the driving force, scoring 11 points in the first eight minutes of play. That burst gave the Beacons a commanding 19-8 lead.

Forward Jorge Moreno put through a layup while being fouled with 7:42 left in the first half for the Salukis’ first basket in seven and a half minutes. During that same stretch, the Beacons scored 20 points, resulting in a comfortable 25-11 lead for Valpo.

Moreno’s layup wasn’t quite the spark the Salukis were looking for. They were able to slow down the Beacons offense, but still struggled to score.That predicament put them in a 32-16 hole with 3:39 left until halftime. 

Valpo continued to extend their advantage little by little, and the Salukis trailed 39-20 at halftime.

Guard Drew Steffe led SIU in scoring at the half with 7 points on 3-6 shooting. The team as a whole shot 29.6% from the floor and 11.1% from three in the first half. In what might have been the lone bright spot for the Salukis, the Beacons’ superstar forward Owen Dease was held scoreless through the first half.

The Salukis started chipping away at the lead coming out of the locker room. A Steffe-led short push from SIU cut the lead to 43-28 five minutes into the second half.

SIU spent the next portion of the game finishing an 11-0 run, resulting in a single digit deficit for the first time since early in the first half. Valpo was able to stretch the lead back out, resulting in a 47-34 lead with 11:52 remaining in the contest.

The Saluki defense stepped up as the game started to reach the later stages. Thanks to a three minute scoring drought from the Beacons, SIU was able to climb back within single digits, trailing 49-40 with 7:45 remaining in regulation.

Valpo refused to let the Salukis get much closer, keeping their lead at least eight points over the next four minutes. The lead stood at 10 points at the final media timeout, with the scoreboard reading 57-47 in favor of the home side.

A three pointer from guard Caden Hawkins cut the lead to six with 37 seconds remaining, the closest the Salukis had been all second half. Then 27 game seconds later, Jalen Haynes nailed a layup to make the score 67-63. A pair of free throws from Valpo guard Brody Whitaker brought the game to the final score of 69-63 in favor of the Beacons.

Haynes led the Salukis with 17 points, 15 of which were in the 2nd half. He was joined in double figures by Steffe (14) and Rolyns and Prince Aligbe (10 each).

The Salukis continued to struggle shooting the ball, shooting 21.4% from 3-point range and going 18-30 from the free throw line.

“This is as bad offensively as I’ve had a team,” Salukis head coach Scott Nagy said postgame.

When asked for a timetable for House and Stafford’s returns, Nagy had no insight to give.

“I honestly have no idea. I don’t spend much time asking (athletic trainer) Riley (Hoistad) about it,” he said.

The now 8-12 Salukis will continue their Indiana road trip, with their next stop being in Evansville on Sunday, Jan. 25 to take on the Purple Aces.

Editor’s Note: The Jan. 25 game against the University of Evansville was postponed due to weather. The Salukis are set to return to the court Wednesday, Jan. 28 as they host the University of Northern Iowa at the Banterra Center.

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

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