Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Northern Iowa
Panthers Smash Salukis 79-55
03/20/2001 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
February 4, 2001
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -
Junior Abbi Schutte scored a career-high 25 points to lead the University of Northern Iowa (13-6, 8-3) to a 79-55 win over Southern Illinois University Sunday in Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball at West Gym.
Schutte scored nine of Northern Iowa's first 11 points of the game as the Panthers built a 11-2 lead at the 15:14 mark in the first half. After a Jodi Heiden jumper which brought the Salukis to within three (16-13) with 10:52 to go, UNI then used a 6-0 spurt that spanned over the next 2:09 to pull ahead 22-13 (8:43). SIU then managed to narrow the margin to 28-26 on a pair of free throws by Danielle Lawary with 5:00 left, but went ice cold and did not score for the remainder of the stanza. As a result, UNI went on a 13-0 run fueled by Schutte who accounted for seven more points as the Panthers led 41-26 at the break.
Schutte, who scored 16 first half points, created all sorts of problems for the Saluki defense underneath the basket as SIU committed 14 fouls compared to UNI's six. Five Saluki players were whistled for two or more fouls with Lawary and McDowell each picking up three. Northern Iowa, on the other hand, went 7:08 without committing a foul en route to its quiet six. Additionally, SIU shot just 2-of-6 free throws compared to UNI's 12-of-18.
A 13-4 run to start the second half, gave Northern Iowa a commanding 54-30 lead with 14:59 to play. UNI then went without a basket for 5:17 as SIU narrowed the lead to 14 points (60-46) on a jumper by Holly Teague with 6:11 remaining. Pulling to within 14, once more (64-50) on a pair of Teague foul shots with 3:48 to go, that was as close as the Dawgs would get as the Panthers used a final 15-5 run to put away the Salukis for good winning 79-55.
Schutte was 9-of-18 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line while grabbing eight rebounds to lead all UNI scorers. Amy Swisher also added 14 points while Kary Dawson pitched in 13 to pace the Panthers. The Panthers shot 51 percent (14-of-27) from the field en route to a 43 percent showing for the game.
SIU was led by Tiffany Crutcher who scored 12 points and Teague who chipped in 10.
SIU, now 5-15, 2-9 on the season, will return to action on Friday, Feb. 9 when the Salukis travel to Springfield, Mo., to take on No. 13 Southwest Missouri State at 7:05 p.m. Following its contest with the Lady Bears, SIU will then head to Wichita, Kan., Sunday, Feb. 11 to take on Wichita State at 2 p.m.
