Saluki women’s basketball holds on for win against the Braves
Sophomore forward/center Nicole Martin reaches to block the ball from Braves’ Junior forward Vanessa Markert (44) during a match-up against the Bradley University Braves, the Salukis lead by 9 for a final score of 62-53 on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018 at The SIU Arena. (Dylan Nelson | @Dylan_Nelson99)
February 11, 2018
After a tough game Friday night, the Salukis looked to bounce back against the Bradley Braves Sunday afternoon.
SIU outlasted the Braves (11-13, 5-8 MVC) to bring home the 62-53 win.
Southern came into the contest looking to end their three-game losing streak as well as earn their 50th all-time win against Bradley.
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The Salukis took on the Braves earlier in the season where they pulled out a one-point win on the road.
Southern came into the contest looking like a different team compared to their three previous games as they jumped to an early 12 -2 lead.
“Playing with urgency was important for us,” freshman guard Makenzie Silvey said. “We knew if we played with urgency and intensity, then we’d be able to get open shots and knock them down.”
The Salukis continued to hold their lead for the remainder of the half as sophomore guard Tiajaney Hawkins sank a three pointer before going into second period giving SIU the 17-7 lead.
Southern’s defense continued to drive their offense in the second quarter as they forced nine turnovers from the Braves while scoring 13 points off of their mistakes.
“We can guard any team,” Brockmeyer said. “We just have to have the right mindset.”
Senior guard Kylie Giebelhausen sank a couple of three-balls in the second period to help further extend SIU’s lead to 34-23 before going into halftime.
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Giebelhausen led Southern in scoring going into the half as she had 11 points while also putting up an assist and a block.
The Salukis proved to be much more efficient in the first half compared to their three previous contests as they put together 7 assists while giving up only four turnovers.
Southern shot the ball well from beyond the arc in the first half, shooting 54.5 percent off of 11 attempts.
“We started off really slow Friday,” Brockmeyer said. “So after we knocked down a couple of shots, everyone wanted the ball.”
The third quarter saw both teams trading points back and forth with neither team able to put together a run to make a significant impact in the game.
The Salukis however, were able to hold on to their lead for the remainder of the quarter as they went into the final ten-minute frame with a 48-36 lead.
Bradley attempted to make the game close in the final period as they outscoured Southern 15-9 to bring them within six points going into the final two minutes of the contest.
The Salukis refused to let the Braves back into the game as sophomore forward Nicole Martin put up an and one bucket that helped seal the deal as they won the contest 62-53 ending their three-game losing streak and sweeping the season series.
Silvey led the Salukis in scoring as she finished with 15 points along with two assists and four rebounds.
Southern forced 16 turnovers from Bradley while scoring 18 points off of their mistakes.
“Our transition was good today,” Silvey said. “It led to easy shots for us.”
Up next the Salukis (13-11, 8-5 MVC) will begin their three-game road trip in Valparaiso, Indiana on Friday when they take on the Valparaiso Crusaders for the second time of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“It’s just nice to get back to the win column,” coach Cindy Stein said. “Games like this you don’t care how you do it just as long as you get it done.”
Sports reporter Dillon Gilliland can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @DillonGilliland.
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