The win streak continues as the SIU Salukis (19-10, 11-7) beat the Evansville Purple Aces (15-14, 6-12) 65-53.
“Really proud of the group,” said head coach Bryan Mullins in a postgame press conference. “You know in terms of how we won that game. It was possession by possession basketball. Tough, physical stops, executing on offense, and just great togetherness and toughness.”
A slow start in the first half had the Salukis down by two, and with massive Arch Madness implications, this game was must win. The Salukis came out in the second half and outscored the Purple Aces 41-27. Troy D’Amico led his team in scoring with 17 points. Xavier Johnson bounced back from his lowest scoring game of the season to put up 12 points on Sunday. The breakout star of the game was Scottie Ebube, who scored 12 points.
“Scottie, Kennard [Davis], Jarrett [Hensley], even C [Clarence Rupert] coming back from a sickness, big time, all of them, to come in, contribute, and help us with this game,” said D’Amico in a postgame press conference.
Defense was the deciding factor in the game, with SIU only allowing Evansville’s top scorer, Ben Humrichous, to score 11 points. Johnson led his team on defense, picking up 10 rebounds.
“In terms of what he [Johnson] does for us every single possession,” said Mullins, “it’s a huge toll on him. But he made some huge plays for us both offensively and defensively to have 10 rebounds, to be able to help us on the defensive board.”
This win keeps SIU all alone in fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference, with Belmont (17-12, 10-8) and Northern Iowa (16-13, 10-8) only one game behind. One wrong move, and SIU could lose the coveted first round bye in Arch Madness. To hold on, the Salukis need to keep their win streak alive, but that is easier said than done.
In less than 48 hours, they will travel to Peoria to take on defending MVC champions the Bradley Braves (20-9, 12-6). The game is at the Carver Arena on Wednesday, February 28 at 7 p.m.
