Salukis suffer third straight loss to Redbirds in Pink Out game
Freshman guard Mackenzie Silvey looks to pass the ball Friday, Feb. 9, 2018, duing the Salukis’ 39-36 loss to the Illlinois State University Redbirds at SIU Arena. (Reagan Gavin | @RGavin_DE)
February 9, 2018
The Saluki women’s basketball took on the Illinois State Redbirds for the second time of the season in Southern’s annual Pink Out game.
SIU fell short to ISU (11-12, 5-7 MVC) in one of their lowest scoring games in recent years, 39-36.
Southern came into the contest looking to snap a two-game losing streak as well as earn revenge from their 49-46 loss to Illinois State earlier in conference play.
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In honor of Pink Out, the Salukis wore pink shoes and pink accessories to show their support for the cause.
The opening quarter saw minimal scoring with an unhealthy amount of mistakes as both teams combined for 16 turnovers in the first period with the Redbirds claiming 11 of them.
“The defense was there,” senior guard Kylie Giebelhausen said. “We just could not convert.”
Both teams traded points back and forth in the first ten-minute frame until settling on a 9-9 tie before going into the second quarter.
Both teams continued to struggle in putting points on the board as Illinois State outscored the Salukis 7-6 in the second period going into halftime with a 16-14 lead.
Southern had a difficult time getting the ball into the basket, shooting only 20 percent off of 3o shots while the Redbirds shot 35.7 percent off of 14 attempts.
“We knew we were struggling offensively,” freshman guard Makenzie Silvey said. “We were just trying to get something going.”
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The turnovers continued to add up going into halftime as ISU netted 17 turnovers off of seven Saluki steals in the half while SIU put up seven turnovers of their own.
“We forced the turnovers,” head coach Cindy Stein said. “We just didn’t get anything out of it.”
The Redbirds were able to find their groove early in the third period, as they finally began to score the ball while in the process putting together a 6-2 run to earn a 22-16 lead.
Southern refused to let Illinois State run away with the game as they kept the contest close going into final period trailing by only three points with the score 32-29.
With 3-pointers from both sophomore guard Kristen Nelson and Giebelhausen, the Salukis were able to find their first lead since the opening minutes at 35-32.
The Redbirds responded with a 5-1 run holding onto a one-point lead going into the final minute of regulation.
After giving up two free-throws, SIU went down by three with one last chance to send the game into overtime.
Southern failed to find an open shot, suffering their third consecutive loss while giving Illinois the season sweep.
“You cannot shoot the way we did and expect to win the game,” Stein said.
Giebelhausen and Nelson co-led the team in scoring both putting up eight points a piece.
Up next Southern (12-11, 7-5 MVC) will take on Bradley University on Sunday at home. Tip-off is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
“This is the 25th anniversary of women in the Missouri Valley,” Stein said. “This game put women’s basketball back 25 years.”
Sports reporter Dillon Gilliland can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @DillonGilliland.
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