SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Southern Illinois basketball swept the season series against Missouri State after securing a 73-51 win Wednesday night at Great Southern Bank Arena. The Salukis led wire-to-wire and put up their second-best defensive game of the season behind holding North Dakota State to 44 at home in November. Three Salukis (7-11, 2-5 MVC) scored in double-figures led by Ali Dibba who put in a game-high 22 points with 20 of his points coming in the second half. Kennard Davis Jr. and Jarrett Hensley each added 18 apiece for the Salukis in the win.Postgame Press Conference A Merriam, Kansas native, Hensley picked up right where he left off last game. After putting up a 30-piece against Mo State Saturday in Carbondale, Hensley kept that pace with a team-high 15 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting. Hensley scored six points during a 12-2 Saluki run which pushed the SIU lead to 30-14 with just 3:38 left in the half. During the run Southern was able to hold the Bears scoreless for nearly five minutes while forcing four turnovers. After spending two years at Missouri State before this season, junior guard Damien Mayo Jr. put the finishing touch on the first half with a fastbreak dunk to send the Salukis into the locker room with a 35-18 lead. After the Bears scored off a turnover to cut the lead to 11 points five minutes into the second half, it was Dibba who answered with a bucket and foul to complete the 3-point play and take the energy out of the building. The Stockholm, Sweden native would continue a scoring barrage over the final 15 minutes of the game and Missouri State had no answer for the guard defensively. Dibba finished the half 7-for-10 from the floor, including 6-for-6 from the free throw line while also leading the team with five rebounds in the period. Southern's defensive intensity was there from the start as the Salukis clogged the passing lanes and limited easy baskets for the Bears who were held to 27.6 percent (8-29) from the floor in the first and 32.1 percent (18-56) from the field in the game. The Salukis finished with seven steals in the game and outscored Mo State 10-2 on the fast break. Six Salukis recorded multiple rebounds as SIU won the battle on the glass over MSU, 35-30. Davis had a team-high eight rebounds in the win while Dibba finished with seven and Drew Steffe corralled six rebounds. SIU finished the game shooting 54 percent from the floor (27-50) and were efficient throughout finishing with 17 assists. Mayo led the team with six dimes to go along with his four rebounds and four points. Steffe added four assists while Dibba had three for the Dawgs. Michael Osei-Bonsu led Missouri State (7-11, 0-7 MVC) with 17 points and nine rebounds while Jalen Hampton added 15 points and five boards. UP NEXTSouthern Illinois returns to action on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT when Northern Iowa travels to Banterra Center. FOLLOW THE SALUKISKeep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by visiting SIUSalukis.com as well as following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" mobile app from the App Store or Google Play Store.