Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University's basketball team concluded their regular season with a 95-77 loss against Indiana State on Sunday. The game took place in Terre Haute, Indiana. This defeat brought the Salukis' overall record to 13-18 and their Missouri Valley Conference record to 8-12.

As the No. 8 seed, SIU will face No. 9-seed Indiana State again in the upcoming Arch Madness tournament in St. Louis on Thursday at noon. The victor of this matchup will then play against No. 1-seed Drake on Friday.

Four players from Southern Illinois scored in double figures during the game. Kennard Davis Jr. led with 19 points and two assists, followed by Davion Sykes who scored 12 points, ten of which came in the first half. Drew Steffe and Ali Dibba contributed with 12 and 11 points respectively.

Indiana State displayed strong shooting performance, hitting 64.5 percent from the field and making six three-pointers in the first half alone. They quickly established an eight-point lead early in the game and went into halftime leading by a substantial margin of 52-31.

The Salukis faced challenges early on when forward Jarrett Hensley incurred two fouls, limiting his time on court during much of the first half. Without Hensley, Indiana State exploited their advantage inside, ending with a notable edge of 26-16 in points scored near the basket.

During the first half, Southern Illinois made only eleven field goals with Davis and Sykes combining for twenty-two out of thirty-one total points for SIU.

Overall, SIU was outrebounded by Indiana State who grabbed forty-one rebounds compared to Southern's twenty-nine. Furthermore, ISU capitalized on second-chance opportunities scoring twelve points whereas SIU converted seven offensive rebounds into merely four points.

From beyond the arc, Indiana State finished with twelve three-pointers while Southern Illinois managed just five throughout the game. Additionally, free throw struggles plagued SIU as they shot only eighteen-for-thirty-three from the line.

Samage Teel led Indiana State’s scoring efforts with twenty points alongside contributions from Camp Wagner and Aaron Gray who each added eighteen for their team.

The Salukis now prepare for Arch Madness beginning Thursday at Enterprise Center located within St Louis; specific details regarding seeding or scheduling can be found online through designated channels provided below:

For further updates about Southern Illinois University basketball visit [SIUSalukis.com](http://siusalukis.com), follow them on social media platforms such as X (@SIU_Basketball), Instagram (@SIU_Basketball), Facebook (Facebook.com/SIUBasketball), or download "Salukis" mobile app available via App Store or Google Play Store.