Carbondale Reporter

North Dakota State defeated Southern Illinois 92-85 in Fargo, North Dakota. The Bison started the game strong, making nine of their first twelve shots from three-point range and building an 11-point lead late in the first half. At halftime, North Dakota State had made 12 of 21 attempts from beyond the arc, and Southern Illinois trailed by seven.

Tay Smith scored all of his 15 points in the first half by hitting five of eight three-pointers. Damari Wheeler-Thomas added three three-pointers on five attempts, while Trevian Carson went two for three from long distance. North Dakota State ended the game with 16 made threes out of 35 attempts, which was the second-most made and attempted threes by a Southern Illinois opponent.

Southern Illinois was effective inside, converting 19 of 30 two-point field goals. In the second half, they cut the deficit to one point with just over fourteen minutes left. North Dakota State responded with a three-pointer from Wheeler-Thomas and scores from Markhi Strickland to regain control. Southern Illinois tied the game at 67 with under ten minutes remaining but only briefly took a two-point lead before falling behind again.

Carson Smith hit a key three-pointer with just over two minutes left, followed by another from Tay Carson with thirty-six seconds remaining to secure the win for North Dakota State.

Quel'Ron House led Southern Illinois in scoring for the fourth straight game this season. The sophomore from Louisville and Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week finished with 23 points. Davion Sykes contributed 14 points and seven rebounds; Isaiah Stafford and Rolyns Aligbe each had 12 points; Damien Mayo Jr. added 11 points. The Aligbe brothers combined for thirteen rebounds as Southern Illinois outscored North Dakota State in the paint by a margin of 56-22.

Wheeler-Thomas led all scorers with twenty-four points for North Dakota State. Strickland and Smith each scored fifteen points; Strickland also recorded four steals.

Southern Illinois will continue its road trip at the Jacksonville Classic presented by Just Play Sports Solutions in Florida, playing Delaware on Sunday, November 22 at 2 p.m. CST and UAB on Monday, November 23 at 12:30 p.m. CST. Both games will be streamed live at Saluk.is/488345r.

The team will then travel to Tennessee to play Memphis on Wednesday, November 26 at 7 p.m., broadcast on ESPN+. All upcoming games will also be available via the Saluki Radio Network.

Southern Illinois returns home to Carbondale on Saturday, November 29 for a matchup against Arkansas Little Rock at 6 p.m., with tickets available at Saluk.is/4i3okOe.