EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story said this is only the second time SIU has won at Drake and UNI in school history. That is not correct and a corrected version of the stat has been added.
The Northern Iowa Panthers had the ball down 2 with 16 seconds and the length of the floor to go. UNI Guard Ben Schweiger’s last-second layup was blocked by Saluki forward Rolyns Aligbe, before falling harmlessly to the floor, clinching a 59-57 win for the Dawgs. The victory was SIU’s first win in the McLeod Center in seven years
The Saluki men’s basketball squad traveled to Cedar Falls, on Saturday, Feb. 21 to take on the Northern Iowa Panthers, and left with their second win in a row. The win brought SIU to 8-10 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
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Saluki guard Quel’Ron House had two fadeaway jumpers that gave SIU a 6-4 lead after four minutes of play.
SIU continued to stay hot on the offensive end while stifling the Panthers on defense. Guard Drew Steffe was lethal from long range, and his two 3-pointers gave the Salukis an 18-10 advantage with 11:35 remaining in the first half.
UNI made a quick 5-0 charge, but a 3-pointer from forward Max Pikaar stopped the Panthers cold. House converting an and-1 moments later stretched the Saluki advantage to 24-17 with 7:06 left until halftime.
The Salukis finally cooled down as the first half wound down. A two minute scoring drought and back-to-back baskets for the Panthers cut the lead to 30-26 with less than 90 seconds left in the first half.
UNI briefly tied the ballgame back up for the first time since early in the contest, but a Steffe 3-pointer from the deep corner went in at the buzzer, giving SIU a 33-30 advantage at halftime. Steffe’s basket was a great representative of the Salukis’ shooting half, shooting 54% from the floor and 50% from behind the arc.
Steffe and House were tied for the game lead at 11 points after the first half.
Coming out of the locker room, the Panthers took multiple small leads but yet another Steffe 3-pointer put the Salukis on top 42-39 five minutes into the second half.
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The two teams continued to battle as time became scarce. At one point, it got so heated Panthers head coach Ben Jacobson was given a warning to stay within his coach’s box. SIU found themselves hanging on by a thread, up 47-43 with 11:44 left in the contest.
There might as well have been a lid on the UNI basket over the next few minutes, with the Panthers going scoreless for over five minutes. Even a change in defensive strategy couldn’t stop the Salukis on offense, and they held a 53-43 lead with 7:19 remaining in regulation.
UNI was finally able to score again, but SIU kept up on the scoreboard to maintain a 57-49 lead with only 3:39 left in the matchup.
The Panthers stifling defense brought them back in the ballgame, forcing four turnovers in the last four minutes.
“I wish we had taken better care of the ball,” Saluki head coach Scott Nagy said postgame.
A layup from guard Trey Campbell brought UNI within two points with 36 seconds to go. A traveling violation on Saluki guard Damien Mayo Jr. gave UNI the ball back with 16 seconds left on the clock, and the fate of the game in their hands. Schweiger’s layup attempt to tie it was no good, and the Salukis finished off a 59-57 road victory.
House led all scorers with 21 points. He was joined in double figures by Steff (14). The two combined for an impressive 63% shooting percentage.
“They went man-to-man on Drew and Q and diamond on the rest of the floor, that’s how good they were,” Nagy said.
The win against the Panthers meant the Salukis beat both Drake and UNI on the road for only the second time in over 20 years.
The now 14-15 Salukis travel back to Carbondale for senior night on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. against the Indiana State Sycamores.
Sports Reporter Eli Hoover can be found at [email protected] or on Instagram @hoovermakesart
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