The Saluki women’s basketball team took down the Evansville Purple Aces (3-9, 0-1 MVC) on Friday evening 74-62.

Coming off of three consecutive losses, Southern entered its first game of its Missouri Valley Conference schedule with hopes of turning the page. Under the direction of head coach Cindy Stein, Southern claimed a perfect 4-0 record in MVC openers.

Freshman forward Abby Brockmeyer was the star of the game as she scored a career-high 27 points and added 14 rebounds. The strong performance earned Brockmeyer a double-double in her first MVC contest.

Defense was the name of the game for SIU as the Salukis forced 21 turnovers and nine steals. Southern capitalized on Evansville’s miscues and scored 21 points off of turnovers.

The Salukis found offensive success with their ability to share the ball and limit turnovers. Led by senior Kylie Giebelhausen’s seven assists, Southern tallied 17 total assists in the game.

In the first quarter, both squads traded points and the Salukis held a 13-11 lead over the Purple Aces after ten minutes of play.

Southern found its footing in the second period as it mounted a 15-4 run and earned a 28-15 lead. The Salukis maintained their double-digit lead over Evansville and went into halftime with a 33-23 advantage.

Three minutes into the third period, the Purple Aces quickly rallied for a 10-3 run that brought them within three points at 36-33.  Although Evansville never captured the lead in the third quarter, it kept the game close at 50-47.

After they allowed the Purple Aces to tie the game at 60 points each, the Salukis closed out the final frame with a 14-2 run and earned the 74-62 victory.

Up next, the Salukis (6-6, 1-0 MVC) will head to Terre Haute, Indiana on Dec. 31 to take on the Indiana State University Sycamores. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Sports reporter Dillon Gilliland can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @DillonGilliland.

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