Southern Illinois University Athletics teams were active during the first week of classes, with several squads competing at home and on the road.
The men’s basketball team lost two close games at home. On Wednesday, Drake defeated the Salukis 76-73 in overtime. Damien Mayo Jr. led with 19 points, and Rolyns Aligbe recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Quel’Ron House also contributed 11 points. On Saturday, Southern fell to Belmont 73-68. Drew Steffe scored a game-high 24 points, while Jalen Haynes added 22 points and four assists. The team will play its next two games away against Valparaiso on January 21 and Evansville on January 25.
The women’s basketball team split their games last week. They lost to Murray State 87-74 on Thursday despite an 18-point, 12-rebound performance from Indya Green. Jeniah Thompson nearly had a double-double as well, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds. Alayna Kraus and Kynnedi Davis each scored ten points. On Sunday, Southern earned its second conference win by defeating UIC 63-58. Green posted another double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds; Kayla Cooper added 13 points, while Kraus and Davis each scored ten again. The Salukis will host Indiana State on January 22 before traveling to Belmont on January 24.
The swim and dive teams finished their home schedule this past weekend with two meets. On Friday against McKendree, the men’s team won by a score of 193-107, while the women’s team prevailed 208.5-50.5. Olivia Herron set new school records in both the 200-butterfly and the 400 individual medley events. The following day featured a women’s meet versus Vanderbilt that also served as SIU’s Special Olympics meet; Southern won convincingly, scoring a total of 183.5 to Vanderbilt’s 75.5. The swim and dive teams will return to competition on January 30 at Eastern Illinois.
Track and field began its indoor season at the Indiana Invitational over the weekend, where Leah Thames and Malik Allen secured event wins for Southern Illinois University Athletics, with several athletes achieving personal bests in their respective events. The team is scheduled to host the Don Denoon Classic on January 24.
Fans can stay updated by following Saluki Athletics on X (@SIUSalukis), Instagram (@siusalukis), or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SalukiAthletics/). Additionally, information is available through the “Salukis” Mobile App via the App Store or Google Play Store.
