Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University faced a challenging game against Evansville, resulting in a 68-53 defeat at the Banterra Center during the New Year's Saluki Bash. This loss leaves the Salukis with a 5-9 overall record and 0-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

Throughout the match, Southern Illinois struggled to gain an advantage, managing only three ties until midway through the first half. A key moment occurred when Sheridan Sharp's layup tied the score at 18. However, Evansville quickly responded with a three-pointer and maintained their lead for the remainder of the game.

Evansville's performance was strong, particularly in the first half where they achieved a shooting percentage of 57.1% from the field. Tayshawn Comer played a pivotal role by scoring 17 points before halftime and finishing with a game-high of 26 points. Cameron Haffner contributed significantly as well, adding 20 points including three of Evansville's five successful three-pointers.

The Salukis experienced their poorest shooting performance this season, completing only 31.1% from the floor and just over 19% from beyond the arc. Kennard Davis Jr. led Southern Illinois with his first double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and securing 10 rebounds. Ali Dibba also added to SIU’s efforts with 12 points and two steals.

Despite outrebounding Evansville slightly at 36 to 34, Southern Illinois could not capitalize on these opportunities effectively, converting them into just six additional points.

Looking ahead, Southern Illinois will travel to face Illinois State on Sunday at 3 p.m., hoping to improve their conference standing.

For updates on Southern Illinois basketball news and events, fans can visit SIUSalukis.com or follow them on social media platforms such as X (@SIU_Basketball), Instagram (@SIU_Basketball), and Facebook (Facebook.com/SIUBasketball). The "Salukis" mobile app is also available for download on both App Store and Google Play Store.