The women’s basketball team closed out the regular season on Saturday in Des Moines, falling 91-68 to the Drake Bulldogs.

Promise Taylor’s 17 points led the Dawgs, while Shemera Williams added 15.  Jaidynn Mason had a strong showing from the bench, finishing with 10 points in just 16 minutes.

Both teams played a very competitive first quarter, and SIU led for nearly the first six minutes.  Drake’s Maggie Bair would start the game on fire, pouring in 10 points in the opening frame, while a more balanced team effort saw five Salukis score in the first quarter.  The Bulldogs would end with quarter with a slim 20-16 lead

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Taylor also helped cement her legacy during the quarter.  She set the single-season record for blocks in a season with swat number 83 on the year.  

SIU opened the second with a quick Williams layup, only to go on a 3 minute scoring drought.  Aja Holmes sank two free throws, helping the team shoot 87.5% from the line for the game.  Promise Taylor shredded the Bulldogs in the quarter, putting up seven points, three blocks and a steal.   However, the quarter would still end in a 43-32 Drake advantage.  

The third quarter would see Drake make 66.7%  of their shots and outscore SIU 27-16, despite SIU over 50% from the field.  Mason, Quierra Love, Tamara Nard, and Tyranny Brown all contributed 2 points a piece for SIU during the quarter, while Laniah Randle would add four points and three rebounds.  Drake’s Bair and Anna Miller would be too much to handle in the quarter, each scoring seven points in the quarter, with Miller adding 5 rebounds.  

SIU had saved its highest-scoring quarter for last, finishing the fourth with 20 points.  Drake would still outscore the Salukis, putting in 21 points of their own.  Statistically, Drake dominated the game; they hit 53.6% of their shots compared to 46.0% for SIU, collected 39 as opposed to 27 rebounds, and dished out 22 assists to 11 for the Dawgs.

With the loss to Drake, SIU locked in the number seven seed for the Missouri Valley’s Hoops in the Heartland tournament.  The Salukis will play the 10 seed Indiana State on Thursday, March 9, at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

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Sports Reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at [email protected]

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