Despite Gift Uchenna’s 17 points in the first half of the game, the SIU Salukis still fell to the University of Northern Iowa Panthers
The Dawgs made only 30% of their shots, and SIU dropped to 1-6 in Missouri Valley Conference despite only trailing 37-31 after the first half of the game. Northern Iowa was able to open up their lead in the second half, even holding Uchenna scoreless in that time frame, and beat the Dawgs by 25.
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The Panthers got it done on both ends; UNI broke through SIU defenses and shot 40% on the game, and also swiped eight steals. They also held the Salukis to 29.9% shooting from the floor, including 21.1% from beyond the arc.
The officiating squad called a very tight game; SIU was whistled for 15 personal fouls, while UNI was called for 17. Both teams were largely able to capitalize at the line, as UNI shot 13-17 from the charity stripe as opposed to SIU’s 15-19.
Uchenna once again led the Salukis in scoring and collected 13 rebounds, while freshman Isabella Palmqvist, who led the Salukis in minutes, also had 10 points and led the Dawgs with two made threes.
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The game started with a quick six points for UNI before Uchenna earned an and-one opportunity, which she converted. Scoring came easier for the Dawgs after that, but every time they scored, the Panthers seemed to have an answer and would even widen the gap.
Salukis made a small comeback in the second quarter Uchenna made a second-chance layup, closing the gap to 27-30 for a little over a minute. It would represent their closest score of the game.
Once the second half began, the Panthers pushed through Saluki defenses and barely let the Dawgs score. Palmqvist, Ternadoo Agatha Agba and Mia Gaines were the only three able to scrape more than a point during the third quarter.
The last quarter saw the Salukis get outscored 21-12 as UNI built its lead despite some good shots from Palmqvist, who scored a three-pointer and broke the ice for the Dawgs in the last quarter of the game.
The Salukis will return to the court on Jan. 26 at 2 pm at the Banterra Center when they take on the Drake Bulldogs (11-8, 5-3).
Design Chief Peyton Cook can be reached at [email protected] or through Instagram @cookmeavisual. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook.
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