Game 1 – #9 Drake 67, #8 Southern Illinois 63
Thursday, March 5, 2026
MVC Tournament Notes — Drake posted its 10th straight MVC Tournament victory - the longest tournament winning streak ever by an MVC school…The number 9 seed is 19-31 in the MVC Tournament winning its first game since 2024 when then No. 9 seed Missouri State beat No. 8 seed Murray State, 60-35, in the first round.
Drake Notes — Drake, which snapped a nine-game losing streak, improved to 13-19 under first-year coach Eric Henderson and will play top-seeded Belmont at noon in the quarterfinal round Friday…Drake improved its MVC Tournament record to 33-43 including a 5-4 mark as a No. 9 seed while advancing to the quarterfinal round for the ninth straight year dating back to 2018. Drake moved its MVC Tournament record against SIU to 6-3, winning its fourth straight tournament game against the Salukis.
Drake Player Plaudits – Senior transfer Jalen Quinn enjoyed his 17th 20-plus scoring game with 22 points including 16 in the second half. He moved into No. 8 on the school single-season scoring list at 624 points, passing Willie McCarter (1967-68, 603). Eli Shetlar netted 16 points, while tying a career high with three steals. Sophomore guard Owen Larson added 14 points, surpassing his combined total of nine points (5, 4) in two previous games vs. Southern Illinois this season. Larson tied his career high with four three-point baskets. The trio combined for 33 of Drake’s 40 points in the second half.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS — The Salukis, who had a four-game winning streak snapped, closed out the season with a 16-16 record. Their MVC Tourney record drops to 39-42. The No. 8 seed is now 14-48 all-time in the MVC Tournament. SIU drops to 3-6 all-time against Drake in the MVC Tournament. SIU had a season-best 21 offensive rebounds…Salukies went just 3-for-9 from the free-throw line, tying a season worst 33.3%.
Southern Illinois Player Plaudits — Sophomore guard Quel’Ron House led all first-half scorers with 10 points, finishing with a career-high 28 points…he scored 10 of the first 13 points for the Salukis in the second half…He has now reached double-digits in 25 of his 30 games this year, and has hit the 20+ mark eight times…hit a career-high with his three 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Rolyns Aligbe reached double digits in rebounds for the seventh time this season, finishing with a career-high-tying 16 boards. Senior guard Davion Sykes scored 11, reaching the 10+ mark for the 10th time this season…and finished with a season-best 8 boards.
First Half Recap — There were three lead changes and two ties as SIU enjoyed a 31-27 halftime lead. It was a game of runs as Drake raced to an 8-0 lead while the Salukis missed their first 10 shots to open the game. Southern Illinois then made four straight shots during an 11-0 run to grab its first lead of the game at 13-11 following a basket by Damien Mayo. Salukis broke away to an 18-17 edge with a 7-0 run to enjoy its biggest lead at 27-18. Jalen Quinn, leading scorer in MVC (19.4) didn’t score his first point until the 3:49 mark and scored six of Drake’s last seven points to close out the half. Salukis owned a massive 27-12 rebounding advantage (15-10 on offensive glass).
Second Half Recap — Quinn (8) and Larson (6) combined to score 14 points in the opening 8:20 of the second half to give Drake a 46-44 lead. Then freshman center Griffen Goodbary came off the bench scoring five straight points in a 42-second span to give the Bulldogs a 53-48 lead it never relinquished. Drake held the Salukis to one basket in the final 2:21 of the game, while Shetlar (5) and Quinn (4) combined to score Drake’s last nine points in the final 3:16.