Recap: Southern Ill vs. Missouri State

Carbondale, IL (Sports Network) - Jeff Early scored 20 points as he helped lead the Southern Illinois Salukis to a 62-54 win over the Missouri State Bears in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup at SIU Arena.

Also scoring in double figures for the Salukis (11-15, 4-11 MVC) was Desmar Jackson with 11 points as the team won for the third time in four games.

The Bears (8-19, 6-9), losers of three of the last four contests, were led by Anthony Downing who dropped in 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor, followed by Christian Kirk with 13 points off the bench in the setback.

SIU scored the first points of the meeting and never looked back, shooting 53.8 percent from the floor in the first half in order to take a 31-22 advantage at the break. The lead could have been even greater for the Salukis if not for the fact that they sank only 1-of-8 behind the 3-point line.

In the second half the hosts used a 14-of-18 effort at the free-throw line to keep their distance and grab the eight-point win.

Southern Illinois finished the night hitting 51.2 percent from the field, yet only 2-of-12 on the perimeter.