On Thursday, Feb. 12, the Saluki men’s basketball squad welcomed the Evansville Purple Aces for Blackout Cancer Night inside the Banterra Center. SIU put their foot on the gas early and rarely took it off in a 86-60 victory. The win brought them to 6-9 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

“It means a lot honestly. Playing for something bigger than basketball,” guard Damien Mayo Jr. said about Blackout Cancer night postgame. “For us to come out with a W by 26 points it’s a blessing.”

Guard Drew Steffe shot the lights out to start the game for the Salukis, hitting two 3-pointers in the first four minutes of play. Forward Rolyns Aligbe adding one of his own gave SIU a 11-7 advantage.

Aligbe continued to scorch the nets from distance as time went on. His back-to-back transition 3-pointers forced Evansville head coach David Ragland to call his second timeout of the contest with 11:07 remaining in the first half, down 29-9 and on the wrong end of a 26-2 run.

“We knew how they played us last year, very tight, so for us to hit those shots early with Drew and Rolyns, four in a row, it forced them out away from the basket,” Saluki head coach Scott Nagy said.

The Dawgs showed no signs of slowing down, continuing to score at will and shutting down a struggling Purple Aces offense. The Salukis forced six Evansville turnovers in the game’s first 12 minutes on their way to a 35-12 advantage.

The Purple Aces started the slow climb back into the contest after the stoppage. A 14-2 run for the visiting side had them down 39-28 with 3:10 left in the first half.

Evansville continued their run and eventually brought the Saluki lead down to single digits. The first half ended with a layup from SIU guard Jalen Haynes and the home squad taking a 43-32 lead.

Aligbe and Steffe poured it in on offense for the Dawgs, combining for 25 points in the first half.

Both teams struggled on the offensive end coming out of the locker room. The Salukis were just fine with that, keeping a 51-35 cushion with 15:55 left in the contest. 

From there, SIU continued to distance themselves from the Purple Aces on the scoreboard. A 57% shooting percentage for the Salukis to start the second half gave them a 62-42 lead with 11:44 remaining in the game.

An 8-0 run for Evansville put them right back in the thick of it. That and a nearly five minute scoring drought for the Salukis narrowed the lead to 62-50 with 7:25 remaining in regulation.

Just as fast as the Purple Aces got back in the game, the Salukis slammed the door in their face. SIU stretched their lead to 77-55 at the final media timeout of the matchup.

A 3-pointer from guard Caden Hawkins with exactly a minute to go brought a roar from the crowd and served as a confirmation of a 86-60 victory.

Aligbe led the Salukis in scoring with 18 points. He was joined in double figures by Steffe (14), guard Quel’Ron House (12), Mayo Jr. (11) and forward Prince Aligbe (11).

The now 12-14 Salukis look to a matchup with the Bradley Braves on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. as part of a Banterra Center doubleheader.

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

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