CARBONDALE, Ill. – After starting the game shooting well, the Illinois State Redbirds hit a cold spell while the Southern Illinois Salukis continued its hot start, and that gap – 10 points at halftime – would be same margin at the end of the game, a 59-49 Saluki win.
Josiah Strong scored 14 points to tie for the game-high mark, while Antonio Reeves added 10 points, and DJ Horne nine. Howard Fleming Jr. pulled down a game-high-tying eight rebounds, while Horne led the team with three assists.
The Redbirds scored the first five points of the game on a Horne three-pointer and a Reeves lay-in and remained at five after an Abdou Ndiaye three-pointer at 8-3.