The Southern Illinois men’s basketball team lost 93-84 in overtime to Richmond at the Robins Center on Saturday, largely due to committing 22 turnovers. Head coach Scott Nagy expressed frustration after the game, saying, “We should have never been in overtime. There were three loose balls that we just looked at,” and added, “This is a game we flat-out should have won. Twenty-two turnovers, and we lose in overtime. I’m just sick about it.”
Southern Illinois initially fell behind but recovered with two key three-pointers from senior Damien Mayo Jr., leading 36-32 at halftime and extending their advantage to nine points early in the second half. Richmond responded with a 16-0 run before Quel’Ron House ended the streak with a basket.
House tied the game at 74 by driving for a layup, drawing a foul, and converting the free throw with 15 seconds left in regulation. Richmond missed its final shot of regulation, sending the contest into overtime.
In overtime, Rolyns Aligbe scored first for Southern Illinois while being fouled but missed his free throw attempt. He then fouled AJ Lopez on the rebound; Lopez made both free throws and Richmond maintained its lead for the rest of the period.
Aligbe led Southern Illinois with 19 points and 11 rebounds. House contributed 17 points before fouling out during overtime. Freshman Jalen Haynes scored in double figures for his fifth consecutive game with 12 points, matched by Mayo’s 12.
Southern Illinois struggled from beyond the arc, making only four of thirteen attempts. Mayo hit three three-pointers while Aligbe added one; Drew Steffe missed his only attempt.
Richmond freshman Aiden Argabright played a key role in his team’s comeback after scoring just one point in the first half but finishing with eight points in the second half and nine more in overtime. He also drew several offensive fouls that contributed to Southern Illinois’ turnover total.
Richmond used eleven players during the game and had six finish in double figures: Argabright, Will Johnston (17), Jonathan Beagle (14), Jaden Daughtry (12), Lopez (11), and Mikkel Tyne (10).
Following this loss, Southern Illinois’ record stands at 6-5 overall and 2-5 away from home while Richmond improved to 9-1 on the season.
Southern Illinois will return home to Banterra Center on Thursday, December 18th to begin Missouri Valley Conference play against Illinois State. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tipoff on MVC Network television. High school students can attend as part of High School Night by sitting in the Dawg Pound student section for $5 tickets.
