Salukis Slip Away Late to Top the Braves

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Saturday night's meeting between the Alcorn Braves (3-7) and Southern Illinois Salukis (5-4) carried all the drama of a championship final at SIU's Banterra Center. The see-saw battle produced 10 ties and eight lead changes, and the Braves were in constant contention until the Salukis broke out of a one-point game to pull away in the final four minutes for the 74-68 victory.
 
The Braves only led for two minutes and 45 seconds of the first half, but were constantly nipping at the Saluki advantage, countering each score from the first points on the board. At their widest margin in the opening period, SIU could only muster a six-point lead over Alcorn. The Braves led for over eight minutes in the end, building up a five-point advantage in the middle of the second half.
 
Although it took over two minutes for either team to notch a score, it was SIU senior guard Lance Jones who dropped the first bucket to open up his high-scoring night against the Braves. However, just under 20 seconds later, Jeremiah Kendall responded to deliver the first tie of a game full of twists and turns. Jones was quick to put the Salukis back ahead, knocking down a three on the next possession for the first of two consecutive SIU perimeter scores. George Mason grad transfer Xavier Johnson added another triple to make the lead six points, but that's all the further Alcorn's defense would bend.
 
After Alcorn opened the game shooting just 1-of-6, Dekedran Thorn kicked off a huge long-range night by slicing the lead to three, and Mike Pajeud followed with key bank shot out of a momentum-clearing timeout by coach Landon Bussie. After a pair of Dominic Brewton free throws cut the deficit to two, Devin Carter tied everything up with a long jumper.
 
Again the Salukis pushed back, and again it was Thorn using the long ball to bring the game razor close, dropping a three on the wing off Keondre Montgomery's assist. Thorn hammered a dunk for the first Alcorn lead, but SIU quickly put away a dunk of their own. Then once again, the pendulum swung as Trevin Wade dished out the assist for another three by Thorn, pushing Alcorn ahead 21-20.
 
A thorn jumper with 3:02 on the first half clock snapped a five-minute Alcorn drought that didn't prove too costly thanks to solid play on the defensive end for the Braves. Heading rapidly into the break, a Brewton jumper and a pair of free throws put the Braves in motion and then he closed the half with the final six Alcorn points by drilling a covered game-tying three with 19 seconds remaining, knotting the score up for the half at 30-all.
 
Byron Joshua delivered the fourth tie just under a minute into the second period, Kendall pulled the Braves in front and Thorn took the opportunity to hit his third perimeter shot of the night. Thorn then broke through the SIU passing lane for a steal on the ensuing possession and made the assist to Wade on the other end – claiming a 39-34 lead.
 
However, SIU senior forward Marcus Domask dropped threes on consecutive attempts to grind the Salukis back in front once again, kicking off a string of four ties and four more lead changes across the subsequent four-and-a-half minutes. The Braves got their best opportunities to retake the lead in a one-point game at 50-49 following a pair of Wade free throws, and then again at 53-52 after another Brewton three. But the Salukis managed to keep the Braves just off the mark from getting the upper hand.
 
With 5:36 remaining, Brewton brought the game to its 10th and final tie at 58-all. Despite another Brewton free throw and layup, SIU clung to their one-point advantage and started to creep away with Jawaun Newton's jumper at 3:37. A two-minute Braves scoring drought proved deadly as the Salukis went 6-0 to build up some steam.
 
Across the final four minutes, the Salukis outscored Alcorn just enough with a 12-7 margin down the stretch to pull out the 74-68 win.
 
The Braves forced the Salukis into 18 turnovers, but weren't able to capitalize – scoring just nine off the free possessions. The difference proved to be on the perimeter, where SIU shot, and made just over twice as many threes – hitting 11-of-31 to Alcorn's 5-of-15.
 
That being said, Alcorn's perimeter shooting was impactful and Thorn's perfect 3-for-3 performance highlighted his 13 points on the night, the junior also hitting the glass hard for six rebounds to match a career high. Leading all scorers and besting SIU's Jones, Brewton scored a season-high 20, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line. Kendall led the Braves' rebounding effort with seven boards.
 
For the Salukis, Jones scored 18, hitting 7-of-14, including a trio of threes. Domask followed with 16 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc – while he also tallied seven assists on the night.

The work on the road almost never ends for the Braves, traveling far west next week for a non-conference tilt at Seattle on Sunday, Dec. 18, then hopping back to Ohio with a Tuesday, Dec. 20 trip to Dayton. The first opportunity to catch the Braves in the Davey L. Whitney Complex is Jan. 2 in the SWAC opener vs. Jackson State.

Follow Alcorn State Men's Basketball on Twitter (@Alcorn_St_MBB) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Alcorn State Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BravesSports), Instagram (@AlcornSports) and YouTube (Alcorn State Sports).