GAME NOTES: The Tennessee State Tigers continue their season-opening three- game homestand on Tuesday night when they host the Southern Illinois Salukis in a non-conference tussle at the Gentry Center.

The Salukis started the season on the wrong foot, falling to Saint Louis, 62-59, in a hard-fought contest on the road. SIU has won only 14 games in each of last three seasons and hasn't posted a winning record since 2008. The Salukis take off for the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic in Kent, Ohio next.

Tennessee State had a much better start to the season, although the competition wasn't as fierce. The Tigers rolled over NAIA foe Reinhardt, 97-66, on Friday. Wins were nearly impossible to come by for the Tigers last season, when they finished a miserable 5-25 overall. They will host Fisk next.

These teams have met 13 times previously, with the most recent affair occurring during the 2004-05 season. Southern Illinois won that contest, 83-60, to pull ahead in the all-time series, 7-6.

Southern Illinois very nearly knocked off the Billikens in the season opener. The Salukis led, 57-54, with 2:03 to play, but Ibby Djimde missed the team's only field goal try from there. They connected on only 39.6 percent of their total shots, while being outscored, 24-12, from 3-point range. There were some positives to be taken from the game, as SIU outscored Saint Louis in the paint (22-14), and off turnovers (20-8).

Sean O'Brien did most of the heavy lifting in the losing effort. He scored 15 points and ripped down 12 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass. Anthony Beane was the only other player to reach double figures, finishing with 14 points. Beane also took more shots than anyone else, hitting 6-of-14 from the field, although he missed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. The low-scoring effort by the team as a whole was just a continuation of last season. The Salukis only netted 66.9 points per game, ranking eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Tennessee State took advantage of its talent advantage against Reinhardt. Led by 23 points from Marcus Roper, six different players scored in double figures for the Tigers, who shot at a 56.5 percent clip in the contest. The Tigers also owned a 54-26 advantage in rebounds, while holding the opposition to 33.8 percent shooting.

Roper did his damage off the bench, connecting on 7-of-12 shots from the floor, including a 4-of-7 effort from 3-point range in 25 minutes. He also brought down eight rebounds. Jay Harris was the leading scorer among the starters, logging 18 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. Both Zachary Lee and Demontez Loman each produced double-doubles for the victorious Tigers. Lee finished with 15 points and 10 boards, and Loman had 11 points to go with a game-high 13 rebounds. Darreon Reddick and Xavier Richards each got in on the action as well, with the former netting 15 points and the latter 10.

Although Tennessee State was impressive against Reinhardt, it is difficult to believe that all of last season's issues have completely disappeared. SIU fought hard against Saint Louis and it should do the same against the Tigers. However, this time the Salukis should come out on top.