SIU made a late 11-point push against the University of Missouri, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the steep second-half deficit in their match up against the Tigers.

The Saluki men’s basketball team dropped the game on the road 64-48.

SIU (4-7) last played against the University of Southern Mississippi, falling 72-69 to the Golden Eagles. 

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Missouri’s win over SIU was their second in a row.

Southern’s last match up against the Tigers was their 2013-14 season opener 72-59 loss at Mizzou. 

Senior guard Eric McGill was the only Saluki with double-digit points, putting up 11 for the game. 

Freshman guard Karrington Davis added nine points for his career best, and graduate student center Barret Benson added seven to go along with four rebounds. 

Graduate student guard Ronnie Suggs Jr., who graduated from and formerly played for Missouri, added in four points.

Tiger junior guard Mark Smith led Mizzou with 23 points, including a 7-9 finish from three-point range. Smith also added four rebounds and two steals. 

Sophomore guard Javon Pickett added the next-most points for the Tigers with 13. 

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Southern trailed by 11 at the half after shooting 28% from the field, compared to Mizzou’s 46% shooting percentage. 

With 13 minutes left in the half the Salukis were tied with the Tigers 9-9, with Benson and junior forward Brendon Gooch each giving SIU a three-point basket. 

Following a timeout, four consecutive made three-point shots from Smith and a jumper from Pickett gave Missouri a 14-point boost. 

SIU looked to lessen their deficit for the rest of the half, but the Tigers kept their distance with a double-digit advantage heading into halftime.

Mizzou (6-4) didn’t let up after the half, and within the first 10 minutes of the half they doubled their lead to a 22-point difference. 

A layup and a three from sophomore guard Xavier Pinson helped push the Tigers forward.

Free throws helped keep the Salukis in the game, as 23 of their points came from the charity stripe in the game off of 26 attempts. 

Southern Illinois made an 11-0 scoring run to finish out the last two minutes of the game, including a three from freshman guard Trent Brown and two jumpers and three FT makes from Davis, but their final push wasn’t enough to get them past Mizzou.

The Salukis will be back at home on Dec. 18 to face the Hampton University Pirates at Banterra Center. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.

Sports reporter Brooke Buerck can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @bbuerck25.

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