Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team lost 86-81 in overtime to Nevada on Wednesday night in Reno. The game featured 24 lead changes and was decided after Nevada tied the score at the end of regulation.

SIU held a three-point advantage with 13 seconds remaining, but Corey Camper Jr. of Nevada made a three-pointer to even the score at 72. On the final possession of regulation, Quel'Ron House drove to the basket, but his shot did not go in, sending the game into overtime.

During overtime, Southern Illinois struggled at the free-throw line. House fouled out with one minute left after playing all but that final minute of the contest.

Head coach Scott Nagy said his team played a physical and fast-paced style that suited them, though key shots did not fall. “The game was physical and fast-paced, a style that suits coach Scott Nagy's Salukis. But on this night, key shots didn't fall, and SIU came up short.”

House led Southern Illinois with 22 points and seven assists. Isaiah Stafford contributed 14 points before fouling out, while Drew Steffe scored a season-high 10 points. Jorge Moreno collected nine rebounds and added seven points. Prince Aligbe finished with nine points and seven rebounds, and Davion Sykes recorded six points along with eight rebounds.

Coach Nagy had indicated before the game that he would use a smaller rotation compared to earlier games against McKendree and UMKC. Seven players—House, Steffe, Stafford, Moreno, Sykes, Damien Mayo Jr., and Prince Aligbe—each played at least 20 minutes. Rolyns Aligbe played 16 minutes but dealt with early foul trouble. Freshman Jalen Haynes played seven minutes; redshirt freshman Jaheem Webber saw three minutes of action. Max Pikaar and Caden Hawkins did not play.

Turnovers were limited throughout the contest: SIU committed eight while Nevada had four.

For Nevada, Tayshawn Comer led all scorers with 23 points. Camper Jr. added 20 points for the Wolf Pack. Elijah Prince recorded a double-double with 17 points and 19 rebounds as Nevada narrowly outrebounded SIU by three (52-49). Nevada shot 35 percent from the field on 78 attempts, including 33 shots from beyond the arc.

Southern Illinois’ record now stands at 2-1 ahead of their next game against North Dakota State on Monday evening. Nevada improves to 3-0.