Southern Illinois Salukis vs Butler Bulldogs Match Player Stats On Dec 21, 2020

Marcus Domask pumped in a game-high 26 points Monday night and Southern Illinois improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2003-04 with a 76-73 nonconference win at Butler.

Trent Brown added a career-high 21 for the Salukis, including a critical 4-point play with 2:10 remaining that gave them a 71-63 advantage. Lance Jones scored 11 points and dished out five assists as SIU canned 54.7 percent from the field, including 9 of 19 from the 3-point line.

Chuck Harris scored 22 points and doled out six assists for the Bulldogs (1-3), which played without starting point guard Aaron Thompson (knee) for the second straight game. Bryce Golden added 17 points, Bryce Nze chipped in a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double and Myles Tate contributed 12 points.

Butler trailed by 18 points with just under 16 minutes left, but chopped its deficit down to 76-73 on Golden's layup with 18.1 seconds remaining. A turnover gave the Bulldogs a chance to force overtime, but JaKobe Coles' 3-pointer under heavy guarding clanged off the side of the rim and Jones rebounded as time expired.

The game was arranged with three days' notice after both teams saw multiple games wiped out because of the ongoing pandemic.

Playing its third game in five nights after a three-week layoff due to COVID-19, Butler came out of the gate flying. Jair Bolden knocked down a couple of quick 3-pointers, including one from about 30 feet with the shot clock running down, as the Bulldogs took a 19-11 lead just under 6 1/2 minutes into the game.

The first half's remainder was all Southern Illinois, beginning with Domask's driving layup high off the glass. The Salukis put together a stunning 26-2 run over 11-plus minutes, executing confidently on offense and building a wall around the bucket on defense.

When Domask converted a turnover into a layup, SIU led 37-21 with 1:55 left. Butler got a layup and free throw from Golden in the final 90 seconds, but the Salukis still took a 37-24 advantage into halftime.

--Field Level Media