Southern Illinois University lost a close game to the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) on Saturday night, with the final score at 68-66. The Salukis had established an 18-point lead early in the second half but were unable to maintain it as UIC mounted a comeback.
Damien Mayo Jr. led Southern Illinois with 20 points, including a career-high five three-pointers. The game saw significant momentum shifts, starting with UIC’s 14-5 run, which was countered by Southern Illinois’ 23-4 response. The Salukis finished the first half ahead 36-25 after not committing any turnovers and closing with an 8-1 run.
The lead grew to as much as 18 points after halftime, following another strong stretch for SIU. However, UIC gradually narrowed the gap. Southern Illinois struggled with ball security in the second half, turning over the ball ten times compared to none in the first half. This allowed UIC, which leads the Missouri Valley Conference in offensive rebounding, to collect 18 offensive boards during the game.
Key late-game plays included two turnovers from Southern Illinois and a second-chance layup by Abdul Momoh that gave UIC a 67-66 advantage—their first lead since early in the contest. With two seconds remaining and down by two points, Jalen Haynes missed an alley-oop layup attempt that could have tied or won the game for SIU.
Head Coach Scott Nagy commented on his team’s performance: “We talk about the two E’s, effort and execution, tonight we did not execute,” he said. “It’s amazing how many plays that we didn’t run correctly.”
Mayo addressed issues with rebounding: “Throughout the game, it’s the subtle details that we’re taught that we’re not doing,” Mayo said. “I feel like it’s a matter of intensity and just being there, being present.”
Following this loss, Southern Illinois has a season record of 9-13 overall and is 3-8 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Salukis will next play against Illinois State in Normal on Tuesday, February 3 at 6 p.m.
For updates on Southern Illinois basketball news and information, fans can visit SIUSalukis.com or follow team accounts on X (@SIU_Basketball), Instagram (@SIU_Basketball), Facebook (Facebook.com/SIUBasketball), or download the “Salukis” mobile app from app stores.
