Little Rock outlasts Salukis 69-66

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In a game of huge momentum swings, Little Rock would outlast Southern Illinois 69-66 in the season opener.

The Salukis (0-1) would bolt to a 27-13 lead, scoring buckets on seven-straight possessions during one stretch. Forward Ben Coupet, a Little Rock transfer playing his first game for SIU, started the run with a 3-pointer and also threw down a dunk.

“I felt like we were sharing the ball, getting it in the paint,” said SIU guard Lance Jones, who led the team with 21 points. “Everyone was just playing off each other.”

The Trojans (1-0) not only overcame SIU’s lead, but they would use an 18-0 second-half run to pull ahead, 58-44, with 11 minutes remaining. SIU would turn the ball over six times during the stretch and had 23 turnovers for the game.

Saluki turnovers are part of issues for most of the second half

“Obviously, turnovers were the biggest difference tonight,” said SIU head coach Bryan Mullins. “You’re giving a team 23 extra possessions on the road; it’s not winning basketball.”

The Salukis went scoreless for a stretch of nearly six minutes in the second half before Jones was fouled on a three-point shot.

“We just needed to have a little more poise,” Mullins said. “We needed someone to just calm everyone down, hold the ball for a second, get everyone in the right spot, and then execute a set. It snowballed.”

SIU’s defense would play well in bursts, holding Little Rock to only 2-for-15 from 3-point range but allowing 50 percent shooting from the field in the second half. The Trojans would commit only ten turnovers on the night for a plus-13 differential.

“We were not tough enough on the defensive end,” Jones said. “We let them get where they wanted, and we didn’t make things tough for them.”

SIU rallies, but it’s not quite enough

With ten minutes remaining and trailing by 14, the Salukis made a furious comeback and would nearly pull out the victory.

Jones would start a 14-2 run with five-straight points, and Steven Verplancken and Marcus Domask would both bury threes to cut the deficit to 60-58 with 4:35 to go.

“If we hadn’t dug a hole like that, it would have been a lot easier,” Jones said. “After giving up the lead in the second half, we were playing catch-up the whole time.”

A three-pointer by Jones with 1:23 left narrowed the gap to 67-66, and after a defensive stop, the Salukis had the ball and a chance to take the lead in the closing seconds. However, the possession would end in Jones’ hands as the shot clock did expire.

“They went to a 1-3-1 and we did great all game against the 1-3-1 zone, got the shots we wanted,” Mullins explained. “We just didn’t get a good look at the end.”

The game would mark the first appearance for Domask in almost a year, after missing the majority of last season with a foot injury. The 6’6″ star forward had 13 points and led the team with four assists and five rebounds. He was on the bench during part of the run.

“When we took care of the ball, we were getting dunks and layups,” Mullins said. “To come back and be down by one, give our guys credit for fighting back.”