EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE men's basketball snapped a three-game losing streak with a 67-47 win over Western Illinois Thursday at First Community Arena.

The win, coupled with a loss by Lindenwood secured the fifth-seed in next week's Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

Playing as the 66ers, SIUE improved to 18-12 overall and 11-8 in the OVC.

SIUE limited Western Illinois to just 29 percent shooting for the game. The 47 points scored are the second fewest allowed this season by SIUE.

After a slow start offensively, the 66ers used an 11-0 run to go up 20-5 early in the first half.

WIU used a run of its own to cut the lead back to 26-22 after a three-pointer by Isiah Griffin with 2:11 to play before. SIUE pushed the lead out to 30-23 at half following a jumper from Kyle Thomas.

The 66ers used a 9-0 run early in the second half and led 43-27 following a Tyler King layup with 15:12 to play in the game.

SIUE swelled the lead as many as 24 after a steal and score by King with 3:13 to play in the game.

King led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Thomas scored 15 points and led SIUE with eight rebounds. Arnas Sakenis scored 14 points and added four rebounds and four blocks. Jack Campion scored six points and added seven assists.

The 66ers shot 49 percent (27-55) for the game and connected on 54 percent (15-28) of its shots in the second half.

SIUE dominated inside, outscoring the Leathernecks 42-14 in the paint. The 66ers outrebounded WIU 43-32.

Western Illinois was led by Griffin who scored 13 points, including nine in the first half.

SIUE will conclude the regular season Saturday when it welcomes Eastern Illinois to First Community Arena. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. SIUE will honor its 2026 seniors in a pregame ceremony.