The Salukis hosted the Flames of the University of Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 31. Coming off an exciting victory against UNI on Wednesday, the Dawgs looked to continue their winning streak against a tough Missouri Valley Conference opponent in the Flames, who came in riding a 7-game winning streak. After an intense game with long runs and an exhilarating offensive display, the Flames came out victorious by a score of 68-66.

The Flames won the tipoff and swiftly scored 2 points on a layup. After another UIC basket, the Salukis got on the board with two free throws by forward Prince Aligbe. The Flames gained momentum and jumped out to an early 9-point lead. 

A 9-point run, emphasized with a jumper from guard Quel’Ron House, got the Banterra Center crowd rocking and the Salukis back in the game. SIU kept pushing the pace and increased the lead to 24-16 with a fierce alley-oop dunk by guard Jalen Haynes. 

The first half wound down, and the Flames faced a more than four minute field-goal drought, allowing the Salukis to sprint to a 10-point lead with a minute left on the clock. Six Salukis finished the first half with at least 4 points. The selfless brand of basketball paid off, and the Dawgs strolled into halftime with a 36-25 lead over the divisional opponents. The Salukis did not tally a single first-half turnover.

“When you take care of the ball against an aggressive team, you usually get good results,” guard Damien Mayo Jr. said.

The second half was underway, and the Salukis looked to continue their momentum. The Dawgs were successful, forcing an early timeout after guard Damien Mayo Jr. hit a 3-pointer. The Salukis could not miss and rained in baskets efficiently, increasing their already marginal lead. SIU kept its foot on the gas, and another Mayo Jr. 3-pointer forced a Flames’ timeout. With another make beyond the arc, Mayo Jr. was shooting 83% from three, bringing his game total to 18 points with 13 minutes remaining. 

The Flames began to find their footing and strung together 6 consecutive points to come within 10. The Salukis started to miss a few jumpers but found other ways to maintain their established lead. UIC dominated in the paint as they doubled the rebound totals of the Salukis, but the resilient SIU offense kept the home team ahead. 

“We got outrebounded by 20 rebounds today, and it’s pretty hard to win a game getting outrebounded by 20,” Mayo Jr. added.

With 5 minutes left in the game, the Salukis got tagged with two offensive fouls, and the crowd quieted down. The Flames got within 6 points, and the Salukis had to revert to their strong offense if they wanted to secure a victory. UIC inched closer and forced an SIU timeout with less than two minutes to play. The Salukis, with their back against the wall, got into foul trouble and had to exhibit extra precautions on defense. 

The Flames put up a lead-taking layup, and SIU had possession down 1 point with 15 seconds left in the game. The Salukis inbounded the ball but failed to score as the game clock expired, leaving the Flames victorious in an 18-point comeback affair. 

“We got casual, you know, same thing with this team not being able to handle success. We just get casual and think that everything is going to be okay, and it’s not,” head coach Scott Nagy said.

With this loss, SIU falls to 9-13 overall and 3-8 in conference play. The Flames, now holding an 8-game winning streak, improve to 13-10 overall and 8-4 in MVC games. The Salukis take to the court next on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Illinois State University. 

Sports Reporter Noah Petschke can be reached at [email protected]. Sports Reporter Aaron Carnahan can be reached at [email protected].

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