Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University (SIU) basketball team secured an 88-78 overtime victory against Missouri State at Banterra Center on Saturday night, ending a five-game losing streak and marking their first win in the Missouri Valley Conference.

"The only good thing about losing is it reminds you how good winning is," said head coach Scott Nagy. "Sometimes if you win a lot, you can forget how good winning is so when you go through a stretch like we've gone through, to win is a good feeling."

Nagy expressed pride in his team for maintaining composure during overtime. "I'm proud of our guys for not losing the lead but not caving when it went into overtime. Our guys were obviously very disappointed. They were able to get over it and play well and make free throws when we needed to."

The Salukis' Jarrett Hensley achieved a career-high by scoring 30 points, while freshman Drew Steffe added 16 points, including three of SIU's seven successful 3-pointers.

With less than a minute left in regulation, SIU led by five points, but Missouri State narrowed the gap. Chase Martin scored three points for the Bears, tying the game at 72 with seconds remaining. An offensive foul called on Ali Dibba sent the game into overtime.

In overtime, tied at 76 with under two minutes left, Hensley scored one of his three successful 3-pointers to give SIU the lead. The Salukis' defense held strong as Kennard Davis Jr. grabbed a crucial rebound and assisted Steffe for another decisive three-pointer.

Rolyns Aligbe and Hensley led SIU on a significant run in the first half, pushing their lead to double digits. Despite Missouri State's attempts to close the gap with a 7-0 run, Hensley responded with quick scoring before halftime.

Dibba contributed 13 points along with four assists and three rebounds. Sheridan Sharp added ten points off the bench for SIU.

The Salukis outscored Missouri State significantly in the paint and capitalized on turnovers by converting them into points.

Vincent Brady II was Missouri State's top scorer with 24 points; Zaxton King added 23 points and five rebounds.

SIU will face Missouri State again on Wednesday in Springfield.

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