SIUC senior center Theia Hudson finally got the opportunity to be the featured player on the women’s basketball team this season.

There was no Kasia McClendon, Cari Hasell or Nikki Gilmore in the lineup to bear the scoring load, but it did not matter because Hudson was up to the challenge.

As she prepares for her final two remaining regular season game as a Saluki, Hudson has learned that many pressures come with being a team’s go-to player.

Advertisement

The Salukis face Southwest Missouri State University (20-4, 12-4) tonight at SIU Arena before finishing up with Wichita State University (7-8, 8-12) Saturday.

Fellow seniors forward Branda Anderson and guard Beth Hasheider also end their careers this weekend.

Hudson is the only Saluki scoring in double figures this year (14.1 points per game), which has forced her to face constant double-teams all season long.

Early in the season, Hudson was able to handle the pressure, but as the season progressed she became frustrated. It got to the point, Hudson was not having fun playing basketball anymore.

The defense was always on me versus last year when it was OK because there was some kind of pressure on Kasia, Hudson said. This year nobody wanted to be a scoring threat, and it put all the pressure on me.

But it has not been just Hudson who has faced unexpected pressure throughout the 1997-98 season. Prior to this season, SIUC coach Cindy Scott never finished lower than fourth in Missouri Valley Conference. The Salukis (9-16, 6-10) are in the eighth spot for next week’s MVC tournament in Springfield, Mo.

SIUC can still finish as high as sixth with two wins, coupled with losses by Northern Iowa and Wichita State.

Advertisement*

We’ve never been in that position we’re usually fighting for first or second, Scott said. It’s been hard from that standpoint because we all had high expectations. It’s always hard in life when you don’t meet your goals.

SIUC heads into the final week of regular season play on a three-game losing streak. The Salukis lost both previous meetings with WSU and SMSU this season.

Tonight, SIUC will have to battle one of the tougher backcourts in the conference. SMSU Freshman guard Jackie Stiles leads the Valley in scoring at 20.4 per game. Senior Lisa Davies and sophomore Roshonda Reeds can hurt defenses as well, averaging 15.4 and 13.6 points per game respectively.

Southwest, obviously, is a tough ballgame for us, Scott said. We don’t match up very well with them. What they are good at we are not good at.

I’d rather be playing the best team in the country than the worst team in the country because it’s exciting and it’s a challenge.

The Salukis play host to Southwest Missouri State University at 7:05 tonight at SIU Arena.