CARBONDALE, Ill. --- UNI men's basketball battled the Southern Illinois Salukis into the final seconds on Saturday night, edging SIU by a narrow 69-68 margin at the Banterra Center for a fifth consecutive victory.
The Panthers improve to 9-7 on the season and 5-1 in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play. Southern Illinois drops to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Facing off against one of the top scoring defenses in the nation, UNI held the Salukis scoreless for the first four and a half minutes of regulation. SIU picked up offensively from beyond the three-point arc to take a 2-point lead midway through the opening half, but the Panthers responded with a 6-0 run to close the opening stanza and take a 36-26 lead into halftime.