CARBONDALE, Ill. -- For the fifth time this year and for the second consecutive game, Indiana State found itself in an overtime battle. Southern Illinois withstood a strong Sycamore push for the 80-74 victory inside SIU Arena.

The Sycamores fell to 6-9, 0-3 MVC while Southern Illinois improved to 9-7, 2-1 MVC. It was the second time this season that the Sycamores have gone to overtime in consecutive games. 10 of the Sycamores' first 15 games have either gone to overtime or been decided by one possession.

Brenton Scott led the way with 15 points while Matt Van Scyoc added 14. Niels Bunschoten tallied 10 points and Emondre Rickman added nine as well after a solid second half.

Once again, Everett Clemons had a well rounded effort as he tallied nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Indiana State hit its first three of its first four attempts from long range as Laqarious Paige, Matt Van Scyoc and Everett Clemons were all true and staked the Sycamores to a quick 9-0 lead. The lead continued to swell on a fast break lay-up from Brenton Scott at the 16:45 mark to make it an 11-0 run to start the contest which forced Southern Illinois to call an early timeout. Sean O'Brien scored for the Salukis with 15:45 on the clock for Southern's first points. Scott then answered after the first media timeout with his first 3-pointer of the game as ISU took a 14-2 advantage. After each traded free throws, Van Scyoc converted his second 3-pointer of the game at the 9:07 mark to stretch the lead out to 21-12. SIU briefly got within five points before Bunschoten drained a mid range jumper as the clock went under the eight minute mark for the 23-16 advantage.

Coming out of a timeout, Scott remained hot with a jumper of his own at the seven minute mark to stretch the lead back out to 25-16. Southern Illinois countered with five in a row to get within four points of the Sycamores before Donovan Franklin nosed into the paint for a jump shot with just over three minutes on the clock for the 27-21 lead. After SIU cut the edge down to just three points, back-to-back 3-pointers from Scott and Van Scyoc led ISU to a 33-26 lead with 2:10 remaining. Indiana State's final bucket was a 3-pointer by Bunschoten with 1:19 on the clock as the Sycamores connected on eight shots from long range in the first 20 minutes. Aaron Cook's charity toss with .2 seconds on the clock sent the Sycamores to the half with a 36-29 lead. Scott led the way in the opening stanza with 10 points.

The Sycamores got a steal and score from Clemons to open the second half as the lead swelled to 38-29. NIne of the next 11 points went to Southern Illinois as just a Brandon Murphy staked the Sycamores to a 40-38 lead. Mike Rodriguez hit a driving lay-up at the 16:14 mark to tie the game at 40 and forced the Sycamores to call a timeout. An 8-0 run gave the Salukis their first lead of the game at 42-40 with just over 15 minutes on the clock. The run would eventually reach 11 in a row before Barnes hit a pair of free throws with 13:53 to go which cut the Saluki lead down to 45-42. One minute later, the Sycamores came away with another defensive stop and Franklin added a pair of charity tosses to get within 45-44. 

Southern Illinois ran its lead out to six points before Emondre Rickman scored down low off an in bounds play with 9:56 remaining to draw within 50-46. After a second chance bucket from SIU, Bunschoten hit a running jumper as the clock ticked towards the eight minute mark and then a steal and score by Scott at the 7:45 mark got the Sycamores within 52-50. Out of another timeout, Clemons missed a lay-up by Rickman was there for the putback and the flush to knot the game at 52 on the heels of a 6-0 run. After SIU took a two-point lead, Van Scyoc was once again fouled on a 3-point attempt and with 6:16 to go, he hit the first two to tie the game up at 54. The two teams traded stops before Rodriguez pushed the Salukis ahead 57-54.

The Salukis pushed ahead by seven points before Rickman converted the jumper and got the foul with 3:58 on the clock. He added the charity toss after a media timeout and the Southern Illinois lead had shrunk to 61-57. After a SIU jumper from Rodriguez, Bunschoten hit his second 3-pointer of the game to get ISU within 63-60 with just under three minutes to go. Scott got the defensive rebound and drove the floor as he buried a 3-pointer in transition with 1:39 to go to tie the game at 63. Leo Vincent answered with a lay-up as the Salukis took a two-point lead. With eight seconds remaining, Clemons grabbed the rebound of a Scott missed shot and laid it in to tied the game at 65 and send the Sycamores to their school record fifth overtime game of the year.

The Sycamores got a pair of defensive stops to start the overtime under Paige hit a driving lay-up with 3:50 remaining for the 67-65 lead. O'Brien answered with a lay-up of his own to once again knot the score at 67. Southern Illinois took a brief two point lead until Rickman hit a second chance lay-up with 2:42 on the clock to once again knot the game at 69. After a timeout, Clemons was fouled and he hit a pair of free throws but O'Brien answered with a lay-up to once again tie it up at 71. Then at the death of the shot clock and with 38.1 seconds left, Rodriguez hit a deep prayer of a 3-pointer to stake the Salukis to the 74-71 lead.

SIU ran their lead out to five points, before Van Scyoc hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game with 19.7 seconds left to cut the the Saluki lead down to 76-74. But SIU hit their free throws down the stretch to take an 80-74 victory.

Sean O'Brien led the way for Southern Illinois with 28 points and 14 rebounds.

Indiana State returns home to face off against Illinois State on Saturday, January 7 at 2:00 p.m. (ET) inside Hulman Center.