SIU goes crazy from three, downs Norfolk State, 76-59

Southern Illinois went 14-of-30 from three and shot 48 percent overall in a 76-59 win over Norfolk State Wednesday night.

NSU (3-7) got 11 points from junior Devante Carter on 5-of-7 shooting, while sophomore Joe Bryant Jr. added 10 points. The Spartans made 44 percent from the field overall, but just 6-of-20 from deep.

SIU (4-5) had five players in double figures, with Marcus Domask taking charge with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 12 rebounds. He had four treys on the night.

The Salukis led most of the first half, which began with both teams knocking down 3-pointers. Bishop nailed his second of the game for a 19-18 lead with exactly 12 minutes on the clock. Lance Jones then scored seven in a row to put SIU back on top. That began a 17-4 run for the Salukis that stretched their lead to 12 with four minutes left in the half.

Bryant ended the run with his second trey of the game, but SIU scored seven of the last nine points of the half to get its lead back to 12, 42-30. The Salukis sank eight 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of the game.

The Spartans got the deficit down to seven early in the second half on buckets by senior Jermaine Bishop and freshman Tyrese Jenkins. SIU countered with a 14-4 run that pushed its lead to 17, 58-41, with 11 minutes to go. Buckets by Carter and Bryant made it a 13-point game, but SIU scored the next seven points. The Salukis led by as much as 15 the rest of the way.

Bishop finished with nine points thanks to 3-of-5 shooting from deep. Senior Steven Whitley added eight points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals, and junior Efstratios Kalogerias also had eight points.

NSU held the edge in points in the paint, 32-22.

For SIU, Eric McGill totaled 14 points with seven assists, and Jones tallied 13 points, six rebounds and six assists. Harwin Francois and Trent Brown each chipped in with 11 points.

The Salukis made 10-of-11 from the free throw line and held the rebounding edge, 33-27.

The Spartans will renew the Battle of the Bay on Saturday at Hampton. The doubleheader will begin at 4 p.m., with the men’s game set to start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women’s game.