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GAME NOTES: The Missouri State Bears will conclude their season series with the visiting Southern Illinois Salukis, as the two are set for a Missouri Valley Conference clash tonight at JQH Arena in Springfield.

These teams met just last Wednesday in Carbondale, with SIU claiming a 73-67 victory on its home floor. The Salukis have won seven of the last eight meetings and hold a 38-26 series lead as a result.

SIU has dropped three of its last four games to fall to 5-8 in league play. The Salukis went on the road and gave No. 19 Northern Iowa a run for its money this past Saturday, though they ultimately fell short in a 55-52 final. The Salukis could certainly use a win tonight to grab some momentum down the stretch, as they'll play three of their next four contests at home.

Speaking of capitalizing on home games, Missouri State has won 12 of 14 games played at JQH Arena this season. The most recent of those victories was a 70-52 triumph over Creighton on Saturday, which snapped the team's two-game slide. The Bears will follow tonight's tilt with road games at Wichita State and Illinois State in the coming week.

Leading by seven points with six minutes remaining in regulation, the Salukis appeared headed to an upset victory over nationally-ranked Northern Iowa. However, Panthers forward Adam Koch put his team on his back and scored 11 straight points over the final three minutes to seal the win for UNI. It was a crushing loss for the Salukis, who shot 57.9 percent from the floor in the second half and knocked down 6-of-10 three-pointers. They also held the Panthers to 37.8 percent shooting for the game, but committed 17 turnovers and had a few too many mental lapses in the waning moments. Tony Freeman led SIU with 17 points, while Justin Bocot scored 10 in the loss. On the season, Kevin Dillard is averaging a team-best 13.1 ppg. Freeman is knocking down about three three-pointers (.432) per outing and is averaging 12.5 ppg, while Carlton Fay checks in with 10.8 ppg.

Leading the way for Missouri State is Kyle Weems (13.5 ppg), a 41.2 percent shooter from beyond the arc (47-of-114) who is also pulling down a team-best 5.8 rebounds per tilt. Adam Leonard has knocked down a team-high 66 threes (.393) on the year and is averaging 12.7 ppg, while Jermaine Mallett is registering 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. That trio has been together in the starting lineup for all 24 games this season. Against Creighton last week, the Bears combined to shoot a healthy 50.9 percent from the floor while holding the Bluejays to 35.8 percent. Will Creekmore grabbed team-high scoring honors with 13 points, while Justin Fuehrmeyer tallied 12, and Weems and Leonard finished with 11 points apiece. The Bears never trailed in the game, and they led by as many as 28 with just under nine minutes to play.

The Salukis have owned the head-to-head series with the Bears of late, but they need to remain focused in order to avoid a letdown following Saturday's near win over 19th-ranked UNI.