The SIU women’s basketball team lost their fifth straight game, and their third in a row by 30 or more points when they fell on the road on Feb. 27 to the Belmont Bruins 73-43.
The Bruins dominated on the boards, nearly doubling up the Dawgs in terms of rebounds, grabbing 51 opposed to SIU’s 27. Belmont also snagged 19 offensive rebounds, leading to 13 second chance points. That figure could have been much worse had the Bruins shot better than 17-37 on layups.
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Gift Uchenna led the Salukis in scoring for the 14th time this season, putting up 13 points while also leading the team with 5 rebounds.
It was once again a struggle for the Salukis offensively; they shot 29.6% from the field, and 25% from 3 point range. Kayla Cooper, who shot eight 3s, led the team with two makes from beyond the arc.
Alice Curman returned, but Tyranny Brown remained in the starting lineup for the Salukis. Both put up similar statlines, with one assist a piece and three or fewer points.
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Cooper opened the game with a bang for the Dawgs, splashing a 3 pointer for the first points of the game. Belmont quickly outpaced the Salukis, jumping out to a 15-7 lead and ending the first quarter up 19-9, fueled by forcing 7 SIU turnovers.
The Salukis sleepwalked offensively through the second quarter as well, matching their first quarter total with 9 points on 22% shooting from the field. Cooper’s jumper 17 seconds into the quarter was the only offense for the Dawgs for nearly seven minutes before Isabella Palmqvist, who finished with 7 points, made a free throw with 2:39 in the quarter.
Not much changed after the break for the Dawgs. They sleepwalked through the third, and only Uchenna made more than one basket in the period. SIU woke up slightly in the fourth, managing to score 15 points on 37.5% shooting, led by Uchenna’s 6 points.
Belmont was very consistent with quarter-to-quarter scoring, putting up 18 in the second, third and fourth quarters after having 19 in the first.
The Salukis (4-22, 2-15 Missouri Valley Conference) have three games left in the regular season and will finish their four-game road swing when they travel to Murray, Kentucky on March 1 to face off with the Murray State Racers at 2 p.m. 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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