Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois faced a challenging road game against Northern Iowa, falling 78-67 at the McLeod Center. The Salukis initially took a nine-point lead over the Panthers in the first half but were overtaken by a decisive 13-0 run from UNI, which ended the half with a 38-34 lead.

"They were more physical than we were, really on both ends," said Southern Illinois head coach Scott Nagy after the game. "We got off to a better start in this game, but when things got tight, we just couldn't run the offense. They weren't going to let us run what we wanted, and they just played more physical than us on the offensive end."

The Salukis had one of their best starts of the season, taking an early 10-4 lead four minutes into play. Jarrett Hensley led with five points out of his team-high 14 first-half points during this stretch.

UNI narrowed the gap and eventually took control before halftime. The Panthers scored through multiple players in their critical scoring run that turned momentum in their favor.

Despite efforts to regain ground in the second half, including contributions from Sheridan Sharp and Kennard Davis Jr., UNI extended its advantage to as much as 27 points at one point.

Hensley finished with a career-high of 20 points for Southern Illinois and added six rebounds and a block. Ali Dibba was another key contributor with ten points while Rolyns Aligbe provided seven points and eight rebounds.

The Salukis struggled at free throws, making only seven out of thirteen attempts, and shot below average from three-point range.

Jacob Huston led Northern Iowa with 20 points while Tytan Anderson achieved a double-double performance with fifteen points and ten rebounds. Max Weisbrod contributed ten additional points for UNI.

Looking ahead, Southern Illinois will host Evansville at Banterra Center on New Year's Day. Tickets are available starting at $4 without extra fees.