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Carbondale Reporter

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Southern Illinois secures narrow victory over UIC in competitive basketball match

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Banterra Center | Southern Illinois University Athletics

Banterra Center | Southern Illinois University Athletics

Southern Illinois University's basketball team secured a close victory against UIC, winning 89-85 at the Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago. This win marks their fourth victory in the last five games, improving their overall record to 9-12 and placing them tied for seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 4-6 conference record.

Head coach Scott Nagy expressed his satisfaction after the game, stating, "Proud of the kids. We fought, we weren't great defensively, but it was a good offensive team we were playing. We played fast and had a really good pace to us which I really liked."

The game saw 12 lead changes and nearly nine minutes with scores tied. Southern Illinois managed to turn the tide late in the game despite trailing by five points with just over five minutes left. Key plays included Kennard Davis Jr.'s step-back jumper and Ali Dibba's basket with an additional foul shot that tied the game.

In a crucial moment with under a minute remaining, Damien Mayo Jr. saved a loose ball from going out of bounds, keeping possession for SIU. Davis then drove through to score and converted a free throw to give SIU an 83-82 lead.

Mayo also made significant contributions on defense by forcing UIC's leading scorer Jordan Mason to miss a layup. Jarrett Hensley secured the rebound and drew a foul as time wound down.

Coach Nagy highlighted Mayo's contribution: "To be down with under two minutes to go and have and the kids fight back – the play (Damien) Mayo made to save the ball we got three points out of that," he said.

The Salukis capitalized on free throws throughout the game, shooting 19-for-26 overall and 17-for-21 in the second half alone.

At halftime, both teams were locked at 46 points each while maintaining high shooting percentages above 55 percent. Dibba scored 26 points along with four rebounds and three assists upon returning to Chicago after previously playing for Chicago State. Davis contributed significantly with 19 points on efficient shooting.

Offensive efforts from Southern Illinois included strong bench performances despite early foul troubles. Jorge Moreno scored six points with four rebounds, Sheridan Sharp added five points along with six assists, while Davion Sykes provided four points and led in rebounds off the bench.

Southern Illinois outperformed UIC in several areas including shooting percentage—55 percent compared to UIC's 50 percent—and dominated inside scoring by outscoring them in paint points (54-32) as well as rebounding advantage (36-28).

UIC’s Jordan Mason led his team by scoring 23 points alongside seven assists during this matchup.

Looking ahead for Southern Illinois is an away game against Valparaiso scheduled next Tuesday followed by hosting Drake University on February first—a nationally televised event dubbed "White Out" where tickets are available starting at $10 without additional fees via SIUSalukis.com/Tickets or calling their hotline number provided online too!

Fans can stay updated about all things related around these exciting matches through various social media platforms like X (@SIU_Basketball), Instagram (@SIU_Basketball), Facebook (Facebook.com/SIUBasketball), or downloading “Salukis” mobile app available both App Store & Google Play Store respectively!

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