In the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both schools, Indiana State cruised to a 77-48 win over Southern Illinois at the Hulman Center on Tuesday night.

The Salukis, who entered the game with one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the country, were out of sync on offense, with no assists in the first half and just two for the game. They also committed 16 turnovers.

Clarence Rupert and Xavier Johnson led Southern with 16 points apiece, but the Salukis shot just 30.4 percent from the field, including 3-of-20 from 3-point range.

The Salukis took their only lead of the night, 2-0, on a Rupert bucket, and held the Sycamores without a field goal the first four minutes of the game.

Once the Sycamores got going, though, Southern was unable to stop them. SIU trailed, 22-14, with 8:01 left in the first half, before Indiana State closed the half on a 16-4 run.