Senior guard Anthony Beane's 22 points led SIU (12-2, 1-0 MVC) to 72-62 win over Loyola (7-6, 0-1) for the Dawgs' first conference road victory since a Feb. 22, 2014 win over Evansville. This is the first MVC opener win for SIU since 2009.
After trading baskets for the first six minutes of the game, a 9-0 Saluki run gave SIU a 17-9 lead.
The lead then grew to 13 thanks in part to a surge from senior center Deng Leek that included four points and four blocks in six minutes.
Loyola entered the bonus with 4:44 left in the first half and rode those extra free throws to end the half on a 7- 0 run, trimming the SIU lead to 34-30.