It’s a battle of teams from the Missouri Valley Conference as they open up conference play with a clash in the Hoosier State on the hardwood. The Southern Illinois Salukis are on the road as they make the trip to face the Evansville Purple Aces Wednesday night. Southern Illinois edged Cal Baptist 64-61 in overtime in the Surf Division of the SoCal Challenge in San Juan Capistrano Thursday in their previous contest: the game was a push as they were a three-point favorite. Evansville was dropped 63-56 by Fairfield in the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic in Savannah Sunday in their previous game: they failed to cover as a four-point underdog. In the all-time series between the teams, the Salukis own a 41-31 advantage and have won seven of the last eight meetings, including a 69-62 home victory in the most recent matchup on February 12, 2022.
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Southern Illinois bounced back from a loss to UNLV in the opening round of the SoCal Challenge as they edged Cal Baptist in overtime. The Salukis improved to 4-2 on the season and now try to start conference play on a positive note by prevailing here. Against Cal Baptist, Southern Illinois used a 7-0 run to close the first half, breaking a 26-26 tie. The Salukis led by nine early in the second half and by three in the final minute only to give up the tying three-pointer with two seconds to play in regulation. Southern Illinois gave up the first four points of the extra session to trail 61-57 before scoring the game’s final seven points to earn the victory. The Salukis shot 44.2% from the field, including eight of 25 from three-point range, and overcame losing the rebounding battle 45-32 in the game. Marcus Domask led Southern Illinois with 32 points and seven rebounds in the win.
The Salukis are averaging 63 points per game on the season, leaving them 333rd in the nation in scoring offense. Southern Illinois is pulling down 35 boards a night while the team hands out 12 assists per contest. The Salukis have been stellar defensively, ranking 28th in the nation as they are allowing only 59.2 points a game this season. Marcus Domask leads the team with 19 points, 7.2 rebounds and three assists per game. Lance Jones (11.2 points) and Scottie Ebube are secondary options on the offensive end. Jawaun Newton, Clarence Rupert, Dalton Banks, Foster Wonders, Trent Brown, Troy D’Amico and Xavier Johnson are key rotation pieces for the Salukis. Southern Illinois shoots 42.3% from the floor as a team this season. The Salukis connect on 7.7 three-pointers per game while shooting 28.4% from beyond the arc. Southern Illinois is above average at the free throw line as they convert 74.7% of their attempts on the season.