The Salukis’ shooting woes continued on Saturday as Loyola defeated SIU by a score of 73-59.

The loss is the fourth in a row for SIU (18-7, 7-5 Missouri Valley Conference), which now drops the team out of second place and into a tie with Indiana State for fourth in the MVC.

“I’m frustrated right now because they’re tuning me out,” coach Barry Hinson said. “They’re not listening to me at all. I’ve been telling them for the past month that ‘It’s coming … the dog days where you have to settle down and execute … if we don’t we’re going to lose some games.’”

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MORE HOOPS: Five things we learned from the game | Photos from SIU-Loyola

SIU shot 42 percent in the game; its third straight game of sub-45 percent shooting. Conversely, Loyola (11-13, 4-8 MVC) shot 55 percent, which is its best performance on the season.

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“I don’t think we ever once tried to make them uncomfortable,” Hinson said. “We didn’t do anything. We didn’t guard a lick.”

Senior forward Montel James led the way for the Ramblers, scoring 18 points with 11 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double this year. Five Ramblers finished in double-digits, including four off the bench.

In the second half, SIU went on a scoring drought for 6:38 that allowed Loyola to extend their lead from five to 13.

“I think the ball just stuck in our hands a bit,” senior guard Anthony Beane said. “It just came down to energy … offense and defense come hand in hand. We were flat on the defensive end, so that’s what happened on the offensive end.”

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SIU was paced once again by Beane and junior forward Sean O’Brien. Beane had 18 points, O’Brien had 17, while the rest of the team combined for 24 points on 9-28 shooting.

Hinson said the team is struggling because of a combination of bad luck and poor shot selection.

“I wish we had reality TV on the bench where you could sit in my chair and guys are just staring at you like the zombies,” he said. “Like whatever you’re saying, it ain’t getting in there. It’s just an empty skull.”

Loyola had 55 bench points in the game, its second-most this season. SIU had 15 bench points.

The Dawgs also struggled again to shoot from long distance. They hit just 21 percent of their shots behind-the-arc, their fourth-worst output this season.

“We got some good looks tonight, just didn’t make them,” Hinson said. “I think that goes back to confidence and being focused and just having that little bit of juice. We didn’t have it.”

Sean Carley can be reached at [email protected] or at 618-536-3307.