But as the future teacher battled her way through traffic, she somehow managed to drain the shot off the glass and draw the foul. She had scored her 999th point as Saluki.

Then she squared up, and with a virtually expressionless face, she calmly buried her 1,000th point at the free throw line.

It was not the first time Hudson has reached the 1,000 point plateau. She did it at Bloom Township High School in Chicago, but it is a little sweeter reaching that milestone in college.

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In high school, I got 1,000 points, and I was happy then, Hudson said. My high school coach told me I should get it in college. When they told me I was close, I was happier. Then when I made it, I was the happiest.

Hudson went into college keeping her coach’s words in mind but never thought it was possible for her to get 1,000 points at the college level.

I thought it was basically the guards who would get 1,000 points because they shoot the most, Hudson said.

Hudson now has 1,002 points. She scored 19 points to help the Salukis beat the University of Evansville 73-52 Wednesday night.

She leads the Salukis with 13.5 points per game and 6.2 boards per game. Women’s head coach Cindy Scott said that under normal conditions, Hudson would not have played the last five minutes of a blowout such as the one Wednesday.

I wouldn’t have played her at that point in that ball game because we had such a lead, Scott said. You don’t want to risk her getting hurt, but I wanted to see her get [1,000 points].

Scott said Hudson has been a strong force on the team during her four years and is probably the most improved players she has ever seen.

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I think it is really difficult to win at the Division I level if you do not have a major power post player, Hudson said. And she has been our dominant post power player for three years. She has gotten better and better each year.

Her scoring numbers have been key the last two years. She works very hard, and she is very coachable. I really believe she has improved more than any one player we have had in our program from start to finish.

Hudson also leads by being a role model for her teammates.

She’s a very quiet person and a very quiet leader, Scott said. But she leads by example because she works hard. Every day she works hard for you. She listens. She is very respectful of her coaches and her teammates. She is a tremendous leader by example.

But while everyone is congratulating her for her achievements, Hudson’s main cause for happiness right now is the Salukis’ three-game winning streak and their first conference victory at home.

I am especially happy that we won three straight, Hudson said. We have not won at home. I think this will urge us to win more at home.