The SIU Women’s Basketball team (8-13, 5-7 MVC) hosted #11 MVC team Valparaiso (4-17, 2-10 MVC) Saturday afternoon for their final game of the 5 game homestand. The Dawgs defense shined bright for perhaps their best game of the season, allowing a season low 47 points against the Beacons.

Junior Promise Taylor, graduate student Ashley Jones, and freshman Jaidynn Mason all had themselves a day by hitting the double digit point mark. Taylor and Jones led with 19 while Mason trailed just behind with 17.

Taylor had a near perfect day, nailing 8/9 of her shots while making all three of her free throw attempts. She also tied for the lead in rebounds with seven and tallied four blocks in the process.

A close start to the game turned into a 7 point Dawgs lead after a three pointer by Aja Holmes with three to go in the frame. The Beacons hung in there for a while, until the second when SIU began to pull away. A 16-3 run to start the second for SIU earned them a 15 point lead with just under four to play in the second.

Late in the third, Valparaiso crept back into things and made it just a seven point deficit. However, the Dawgs would get another huge run of 17-3 in the fourth to ice the game away. The Beacons only were able to make one field goal attempt throughout the entirety of the fourth and the last 13 minutes of the game. Tyranny Brown’s layup put an exclamation point on a 30 point win for the Dawgs to get back in the win column for the first time in over two weeks.

The Dawgs will look to make it two in a row against the Redbirds when they travel to take the #1 MVC team in Normal. That game will start with a 6:30 pm tip-off time.

Sports editor Joseph Bernard can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Jojobernard2001. 

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