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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Southern Illinois basketball completed the season sweep against Missouri State by achieving a 73-51 victory Wednesday evening at Great Southern Bank Arena. The Salukis maintained a lead throughout and delivered their second-most effective defensive performance of the season after restricting North Dakota State to 44 at home in November.

Three Salukis (7-11, 2-5 MVC) scored in double digits, topped by Ali Dibba who contributed a game-high 22 points, with 20 scored in the second half. Kennard Davis Jr. and Jarrett Hensley each added 18 points for the Salukis in the triumph.

Postgame Press Conference

 

A native of Merriam, Kansas, Hensley resumed his strong performance from the previous game. After scoring 30 points against Mo State Saturday in Carbondale, Hensley continued that momentum with a team-high 15 points in the first half on 6-of-8 shooting.

 

Hensley contributed six points during a 12-2 Saluki run, increasing the SIU advantage to 30-14 with only 3:38 remaining in the half. During this stretch, Southern kept the Bears scoreless for almost five minutes while forcing four turnovers.

 

After spending two years at Missouri State prior to this season, junior guard Damien Mayo Jr. capped off the first half with a fastbreak dunk to send the Salukis into the locker room leading 35-18.

 

When the Bears scored following a turnover to narrow the gap to 11 points five minutes into the second half, it was Dibba who responded with a score and foul to complete the 3-point play, taking the momentum out of the arena.

 

The native of Stockholm, Sweden continued to score prolifically over the final 15 minutes of the contest, and Missouri State had no solution for the guard’s offense. Dibba shot 7-for-10 from the field during the half, including 6-for-6 from the charity stripe while also leading the team with five rebounds during this period.

 

Southern’s defensive fervor was evident from the onset, as the Salukis disrupted passing lanes and curtailed easy scoring opportunities for the Bears, who were limited to 27.6 percent (8-29) from the floor in the first half and 32.1 percent (18-56) overall. The Salukis registered seven steals in the game and outscored Mo State 10-2 in transition.

 

Six Salukis recorded multiple rebounds as SIU triumphed in the rebounding battle against MSU, 35-30. Davis tallied a team-high eight rebounds while Dibba gathered seven and Drew Steffe secured six boards.

 

SIU concluded the game with an impressive shooting percentage of 54 percent from the floor (27-50) and were efficient throughout, finishing with 17 assists. Mayo led the squad with six assists alongside his four rebounds and four points. Steffe contributed four assists while Dibba recorded three for the Salukis.

 

Michael Osei-Bonsu led Missouri State (7-11, 0-7 MVC) with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Jalen Hampton chipped in 15 points and five boards.

 

UP NEXT

Southern Illinois will be back in action on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT as Northern Iowa visits Banterra Center.

 

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS

Stay updated with all the latest news and announcements about the Salukis by visiting SIUSalukis.com and following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, on Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the “Salukis” mobile app from the App Store or the Google Play Store.