Southern Illinois University
NWBL (Exhibition)
Women's Basketball Defeats NWBL, 93-78
11/14/2003 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2003
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill.-- Tiffany Crutcher posted a double-double 27 points and 13 rebounds, while Danette Jones scored 16 points and Katie Berwanger added 11 to lead Southern Illinois University to a 93-78 win over NWBL earlier tonight in exhibition action at SIU Arena.
Had the game counted, Crutcher's 27 points would have marked a career-high, while Jones' 16 would have tied one.
SIU, who struggled to find its high-low offense against Goldstar, was running on all cylinders in that area, thanks to Crutcher. The native of Bolingbrook, Ill., took control of the low block and merely dominated the game's opening 20 minutes.
Scoring 16 of the team's first 20 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting, Crutcher carried the Dawgs to a 20-15 lead at the 10:53 mark in the first half.
After a jumper by Jennifer Tessier narrowed SIU's lead to 25-23 (6:59), Crutcher scored five of the Salukis' next seven points to spark a 7-0 run, and regain a 32-25 advantage.
Four minutes and forty-one seconds later, Crutcher tore up the NWBL post defense again, scoring another three points as part of a 9-1 run which pushed SIU's lead to 45-32 at intermission.
Crutcher finished a stunning first half with a double-double 24 points and 10 rebounds. She shot a near-perfect 11-of-12 from the field and 2-of-3 from the free throw line, while grabbing four of her 10 boards on the offensive glass.
Although Crutcher stole the show in the first half, it was Jones who took the spotlight in the second.
After SIU opened the second half with a 8-0 run and extended its lead to 53-34, Jones came off the bench and quickly scored eight points, including two three-pointers in 1:20.
Following Jones' second trey at the 11:37 mark, a Berwanger jumper came 28 seconds later to give SIU its biggest lead of the game at 66-46 (11:09).
Jones remained hot from long range and knocked down another three-pointer with 8:14 left to play, and before it was all said and done, she would end up with 13 second half points in a span of seven minutes.
Trailing 79-60 with 6:08 left to play, Keneisha Moss drove the lane and scored on an uncontested layup to cap off a 14-3 run and pull NWBL to within eight (82-74), but the Salukis answered with one final 11-4 run in the last 1:51 to polish off the win.
For the game, Crutcher shot 12-of-15 from the field and 3-of-5 from the free throw line. Jones, on the other hand, hit 6-of-12 field goals, including 4-of-8 from downtown.
Meanwhile, Berwanger went 5-of-10 from the floor, pulled down six rebounds and had three steals.
SIU outrebounded NWBL by an impressive count of 65-35 and a 30-11 total on the offensive end. The Salukis also converted on 41 percent (37-of-89) of their field goals and recorded 26 assists, including seven by Dana Pinkston.
The Salukis open their 2003-04 season at Southeast Missouri State on Friday, Nov. 21. Tip off is at 6 p.m.
