Viewers of the showdown between the SIU women’s basketball team and Evansville were surely biting their nails in the waning minutes as the Salukis held off the Evansville Purple Aces with a final score of 72-69 on Friday, Feb. 7.
Evansville, who had trailed by as many as 17, had come nearly all the way back, and the Salukis found themselves protecting a slim 68-63 lead.
The Purple Aces came as close as a single point to overtaking the Salukis; a layup with 1:37 left had the score at 68-67, and a feeling of dread was seeming to take over the arena.
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But the Saluki defense held strong, and their star, Gift Uchenna, showed up in the clutch. In the final minute alone, Uchenna made a layup, had a block on the following possession and eventually iced the game with a free throw with five seconds left.
“Defensively, in that first half, to hold them to 24 points, showed our young ladies we’re capable,” head coach Kelly Bond-White said.
The win marked the first at home since Dec. 2.
“I’m happy for our kids, I’m happy for our coaching staff that remains resilient, that just keeps grinding, and that does it with a little joy. They’re not letting the weight of the season get to them,” Bond-White said.
“There’s no better place for us to win the game than a home game. We had to win it at home,” Uchenna said.
Uchenna was unstoppable on the night, torching Evansville for 20 points while also grabbing 19 rebounds and recording four blocks. She even was doing damage outside the paint, as she also made her second three of the season.
The Salukis also had one of their better shooting games of the year; they shot 33.3% from 3-point range, and 39% from the floor as opposed to their season averages of 26.9% from 3 and 35.2% from the floor.
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The defensive effort also showed up in the box score. The Dawgs had 12 steals and seven blocks, both of which vastly outperformed their season averages.
Tkiyah Nelson, who finished with eight points, four assists and four steals but also five turnovers, including four in the last three minutes of the game, redeemed herself, as she made a free throw to put the Dawgs up 71-67.
After ending the first quarter with the score tied at 12, the Salukis took the lead for good off a 3 pointer from Tyranny Brown with 7:29 in the second quarter. Isabella Palmqvist also had a big second quarter, scoring 9 of her 14 points in the frame, including 7 in the last five minutes to help the Salukis carry a 9-point lead into halftime.
Alice Curman, who finished with 10 points, including 2-3 from beyond the arc, started the third quarter with a three, and an Uchenna layup helped to stop a mini Evansville run before it really got started.
Uchenna’s three with 6:34 left in the third pushed the Saluki lead to 12 and with 2:32 in the third, after a Palmqvist three, three total points by Kayla Cooper, and a Nelson layup, the Dawgs found themselves up 16.
Evansville (5-17, 1-10) managed to claw their way back into the game late in the fourth, but it didn’t prove to be enough, as the Salukis overtook them in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
SIU (4-16, 2-9 MVC) will have a quick turnaround to a Feb. 9 matchup with Indiana State, who sits in cellar of the MVC at 3-19, including 1-10 in conference play. The game will tip off at noon on ESPN+.
Sports reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook.
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