Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University's men's basketball team secured a win against Austin Peay in an exhibition game at Banterra Center on Friday. The Salukis overcame a 12-point deficit from the first half, ultimately winning 84-79.

Quel'Ron House, a sophomore guard, led Southern Illinois with 29 points, making eight of his 13 shots. The team trailed by ten points at halftime but improved their play after the break. They outscored Austin Peay by 15 points in the second half and shot nearly 60 percent from the field during that period. Defensively, Southern Illinois limited Austin Peay to just 27 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Rolyns Aligbe, a sophomore forward for SIU, contributed 16 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Isaiah Stafford added 11 points and converted eight of his twelve free throws.

The Salukis controlled play inside late in the game, ending with a ten-point advantage in paint scoring and leading fast-break points by nine. Their aggressive approach resulted in them converting 32 of their 49 free throw attempts—an improvement over their first-half performance at the line—and collecting fifteen offensive rebounds after only securing two before halftime.

Austin Peay maintained its lead for more than twenty-five minutes of play, driven by six three-pointers and seventeen points from freshman Tyler Wagner. However, Southern Illinois gained control midway through the second half and kept it for the remainder of the contest.

Southern Illinois will play its next exhibition game on October 29 against Lindenwood on the road.