Southern Illinois University
4-7, 0-3MVC
Evansville
9-3, 3-0MVC
Women's Basketball Falls To Evansville, 95-85
01/11/2003 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2003
Evansville, Ind. - The inside tandem of junior Jamie Gray and senior Jenna Hayes was too much for Southern Illinois (4-7, 0-3) to handle, as Evansville (9-3, 3-0) won, 95-85, earlier tonight at Roberts Stadium. Gray scored 35 points, while Hayes pitched in 21 to stymie the Salukis.
With the win, UE took over first place in the Missouri Valley Conference, as it posted its ninth win in the last 10 meetings against SIU.
SIU struggled early against UE's zone defense which held the Salukis to just eight points in the paint for the entire first half.
The Salukis, who turned the ball over 12 times, opened the game shooting .167 (2-of-12) in the first 8:40, while UE's potent inside duo of Gray (17) and Hayes (13) combined for 20 of the Aces' 22 points underneath.
Trailing 26-13 with 6:49 remaining in the first half, a pair of Katie Berwanger jumpers and a Dana Pinkston layup fueled a 6-0 run which narrowed UE's lead to 26-19 at the 5:03 mark.
Following SIU's quick jaunt, the Purple Aces answered with a red-hot 23-8 run that saw Gray score eight straight points, including back-to-back three-pointers in the last minute and a half. Hayes also added six points to the attack which gave UE a commanding 49-27 lead at the break.
Gray (6-of-10) and Hayes (6-of-7) joined forces for a sizzling 12-of-17 effort from the field. Each also grabbed four or more rebounds to give UE a 22-16 advantage on the glass. Additionally, the Purple Aces shot a blistering 58 percent (18-of-31) from the field, while SIU posted a 31-percent mark (11-of-35) mark.
SIU, who has appeared to be a second-half team most of this season, looked entirely different in the game's final 20 minutes.
UE's 22-point lead was quickly cut to 11 (56-45) thanks to a 16-7 run which ended on a three-point play by Danette Jones (15:06) and a Berwanger layup with 14:44 left to play.
Jones, who caught fire in the second half, would go on to score eight more points, as SIU chopped the UE lead to 10 points on several occasions.
But UE kept its poise and made all the key shots it needed to put the Salukis away.
After a three-point play by Molly McDowell (8:02) sliced the Aces' lead to 72-64, UE countered with a 20-9 run that helped seal the 95-85 win.
Gray fell three points shy of setting UE's all-time, single-game record. She shot 12-of-18 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range and 5-of-8 from the free throw line. Gray also pulled down 10 rebounds.
Hayes followed with 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Cammie Campbell, who hit 5-of-10 (.500) from behind the three-point arc, also chipped in 17 points.
SIU was led by McDowell who touched the nets for a career-high 35 points to surpass the 1,000-point plateau in her four-year term. McDowell, who now has 1,007 points, hit 11-of-19 from the field to go along with a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. For McDowell, her 35-point effort also ended a two-game streak in which she had gone scoreless.
Jones, who scored 11 points in the second half, tied a career-high 16 points, and Berwanger also added 12 to help pace the Salukis.
SIU, will remain on the road to face Creighton (7:05 p.m.) on Thursday, Jan. 16. Following its matchup with the Bluejays, the Salukis will play at Drake (2:05 p.m.) on Saturday, Jan. 18.
