Southern Illinois won its seventh straight Missouri Valley Conference game in dramatic fashion on Saturday night when freshman Marcus Domask beat the buzzer with a contested jumper. The shot lifted the Salukis to a 68-66 victory over visiting Missouri State. It was the 10th straight home win for Southern Illinois.
Domask scored 18 points in the game but none more important than the final two, which came on an assist from Ronnie Suggs who executed a full-court inbounds play to perfection. The win keeps Southern Illinois (15-10, 9-3) in the hunt for the MVC regular season title. They are in sole possession of second place behind Northern Iowa (21-3, 9-2).
The Salukis have found a flare for the dramatic recently by winning its last six games by an average of 3.8 points. Domask, a 6-foot-6 freshman forward, is the team's leading scorer. He entered Saturday's game averaging 14.7 points per game.
🔥 MARCUS DOMASK 🔥@SIU_Basketball wins a thriller over Missouri State with this buzzer-beater from the freshman! pic.twitter.com/bSkJjOxzrm
— MVC Basketball (@ValleyHoops) February 9, 2020
Here's another angle showing one of the best inbounds plays you'll ever see.
INSIDE THE DAWG POUND | The shot you’ll never forget. #UnleashTheDawgPound pic.twitter.com/6tDq99vyI5
— Saluki Basketball (@SIU_Basketball) February 9, 2020
Senior center Barret Benson, a graduate transfer from Northwestern, led Southern Illinois with 24 points. Josh Hall led Missouri State (11-14, 5-7) with 17 points. The teams meet again on Feb. 29 to end the regular season.
