After a rough regular season where they finished with a record of 4-25, Saluki Women’s Basketball looked to give a strong showing in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Coming in as the 12 seed, they faced off against the Redbirds of Illinois State in the first round on Thursday. The Salukis played the Redbirds on March 9 and lost by only 13, leading to a sense of optimism entering the conference tournament.
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That optimism quickly evaporated; the Dawgs went on to lose the game 88-48, putting an end to the season. The 40-point loss was SIU’s largest of the season.
The Dawgs matched what the Birds were doing for the first five minutes, but Illinois State was able to pull away with a 12-0 run, in part due to turnovers by the Salukis, and the first quarter ended with the Redbirds up 10.
Turnovers were a problem the entire afternoon; the Dawgs finished with 24 in the 40 minutes of play, including 17 in the first half alone. Illinois State took full advantage and converted them into 35 points off turnovers.
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In the next 10 minutes of play, the Salukis didn’t fare much better. A five minute scoring drought for SIU let the Redbirds drive up their lead another 15 points and go into the locker room with a 28 point cushion.
In the second half of play, SIU was better able to keep up with Illinois State in part due to better shooting from the field. In the first half the Dawgs shot 7-25 from the floor, while in the second they went 9-24.
They were also able to flip the script on opportunities from the free throw line.
In the first half, the Birds took 16 trips to the line and sank 14 of them whereas SIU only went 2-3. But in the second half, the Salukis went to the line 12 times and turned them into seven points. Illinois State got four attempts, sinking them all.
But a better performance in the last 20 minutes of play still wasn’t enough to make it anywhere near close. Illinois State stretched their lead by another 12 points in the second half for a 40 point win.
Gift Uchenna led the Salukis on the score sheet with 16 points and 14 rebounds for her 21st double-double of the year. The figure is good for 3rd best in the country and most in a season at SIU.
With the season now officially over, the Salukis will look to rebuild and rebound for the fall.
Sports Reporter Nick Pfannkuche can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook.
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