Salukis win overtime battle over Missouri State
Sophomore forward Nicole Martin fights Missouri State forward Aubrey Buckley for the ball Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, during the Salukis’ 71-69 win over the Missouri State University Bears at SIU Arena.
January 26, 2018
The SIU women’s basketball team took down the Missouri State Bears (11-9, 7-2 MVC) in Friday’s overtime thriller, 71-69.
In one of their more physical games of the season, the Salukis got the stops they needed in the paint and sent the game into overtime despite trailing for the majority of the second half.
“We had to stay tough and not let things get to us,” senior guard Kylie Giebelhausen said.
In the final minutes of regulation, the Salukis got the stops they needed in the paint and prevented MSU from running away with the game.
“Our kids were really active on the ball,” head coach Cindy Stein said. “We had to play really gritty defense.”
With only seconds remaining in the game, sophomore guard Brittney Patrick put up four straight points that helped send the game into overtime tied at 62.
“We had to have players step up,” Stein said. “Brittney came in and was a leader.”
Patrick finished the contest with a season-high 15 points and five assists. She also provided the spark that the Salukis needed in overtime.
In the extra frame, Patrick put up five of the Salukis’ nine points that clinched the 71-69 victory.
Southern came into the contest on a mission to win its third straight game, sweep its three-game homestand and take down the number two team in the Missouri Valley Conference.
In the first quarter, both teams traded points and the Lady Bears held off the Salukis 20-19 after 10 minutes of play.
Giebelhausen provided an early spark for the Salukis as she dropped 10 points in the first quarter.
The second quarter followed suit as both teams struggled to gain a significant advantage.
Late in the quarter, the Salukis pieced together five straight points with a 3-pointer from freshman guard Makenzie Silvey and a bucket from sophomore forward Nicole Martin. The run gave the Salukis their first two-possession lead, 34-30.
Martin finished the contest with 12 points and came up one rebound shy of a double-double.
Southern held on to its lead in the final minutes of the half and carried a 34-31 lead into halftime.
The Lady Bears took control of the game early in the third quarter with seven unanswered points that earned a 38-34 advantage.
“We shot ourselves in the foot letting them get up in the third quarter,” Giebelhausen said. “We battled back and forth too much.”
From there, the Salukis battled back behind clutch shooting from Martin which earned Southern its third straight victory and a tie for second place in the MVC.
Up next, the Salukis (12-8, 7-2 MVC) will complete their season series against the first-place Drake Bulldogs in Des Moines, Iowa. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 2.
“We played tough,” Stein said. “We played really well together and that’s what I’m most pleased with.”
Sports reporter Dillon Gilliland can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @DillonGilliland.
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