NCAA Game Summary - Southern Illinois at Evansville

Evansville, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Anthony Beane poured in a game-high 22 points to lead the Southern Illinois Salukis to a 61-56 victory over the Evansville Purple Aces in a Missouri Valley Conference bout at the Ford Center.

Beane shot 8-of-18 from the field and sank all five of his free-throw attempts for SIU (12-17, 8-8 MVC), which has won two in a row. Desmar Jackson added 15 points and eight rebounds for the visitors, while Bola Olaniyan tallied eight points and 11 boards.

For Evansville (11-18, 4-12), losers of three in a row and seven of eight, Egidiju Mockevicius logged a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, Blake Simmons scored 11 points and D.J. Balentine handed out seven assists but was only 1-of-8 shooting from the floor.

The Salukis carried a 29-23 lead into intermission after shooting 44.4 percent from the field in the opening stanza while holding the Purple Aces to just 36 percent shooting.

SIU regressed to just 26.9 percent field goal shooting in the second half, which allowed Evansville to climb back in the game. With the contest tied at 47 with under six minutes to play, SIU reeled off five straight points to take control, and it held off the Purple Aces down the stretch by draining 8-of-9 at the foul line over the final 1:20.

The Salukis dominated on the glass, earning a 45-26 rebounding advantage.