Southern Illinois University
0-7
Southern Mississippi
8-0
Women's Basketball Loses Heartbreaker to Southern Miss
12/16/2003 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2003
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill.-- Marlena Lee hit only two field goals, but one was a huge three-pointer with 24 seconds left that helped Southern Mississippi (8-0) escape with a thrilling 59-55 win over Southern Illinois (0-7) earlier tonight at SIU Arena.
For Southern Miss, the win marked its first on the road this season, as it is off to its best start since 1994-95. Meanwhile, the loss was SIU's first at home.
Tied 9-9 after a Dana Pinkston three-poiner, SIU went on a 12-5 run to take a 21-14 lead with 4:37 remaining in the first half. Four different Salukis scored during the spurt which was ignited by Amy Hayden's five points in a 1:37 stretch off the bench.
Southern Miss, however, answered with a 12-4 jaunt of its own to regain a 26-25 lead at the break. Three-pointers by Lana Lewis (4:14) and Tierra Lassiter (2:48), along with a pair of free throws by Lee (:50), accounted for over half of the Lady Eagles' points in the final 4:30 of the half.
The Lady Eagles' late run helped make light of a poor .296 (8-of-27) field goal percentage in the game's opening 20 minutes. Lucky for Southern Miss, SIU also struggled from the floor hitting just 9-of-27 for a .333 mark.
Both teams looked completely different to open the second half, as each came out shooting .583 or better in the first 8:04. Southern Miss hit 7-of-12 (.583) from the field, while SIU made 7-of-10 (.700) during a span which saw 11 lead changes.
In the midst of all the tight back-and-forth play, Hayden came up big again with another three-pointer to give the game its fifth tie at 39-39 with 13:39 left to play.
Shortly after Hayden's bomb, Southern Miss put together a 11-5 run to get some breathing room. Deondra Carter scored four points in the attack that regained a 50-44 lead for the Lady Eagles with a little under eight minutes remaining.
Despite the run, SIU battled back and took a 51-50 lead thanks to a Danette Jones three-pointer (7:24) and a pair of clutch Wendy Goodman layups (6:27; 5:48).
Following Goodman's second bucket, the heart-throbbing began. Trailing, 54-51, a Hayden jumper brought the Salukis to within one with 1:37 on the clock. Berwanger, who sat for all but four minutes in the second half with four fouls, then banked in a go-ahead jumper to give the Dawgs a 55-54 lead with 49 ticks left.
Twenty-five seconds later, Lee calmly buried a wide open three at the top of the key and Lewis was credited with the assist.
Barely clinging to its 57-55 lead, Southern Miss would give SIU its chances. Jones, however, missed a wide open layup with nine seconds left and Goodman turned the ball over seven seconds later before a pair of Lassiter free throws (:01) sealed the 59-55 win.
Hayden notched a career-high 10 points in 25 minutes off the bench, as one of three Salukis who scored double figures. The native of Ft. Wayne, Ind., hit 4-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-5 from downtown. However, it was Crutcher who led SIU with 12 points and Jones followed with 11.
In what was by far SIU's best game this season to date, the Salukis matched up well with the Lady Eagles. Both teams shot 40 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range.
SIU and Southern Miss were also nearly even in rebounds and turnovers. The Lady Eagles grabbed 36 boards and committed 18 turnovers, while the Dawgs pulled down 32 rebounds and turned the ball over 16 times. Additionally, Hayden and Goodman's solid efforts led the Salukis to a 21-2 advantage off the bench.
Southern Miss was led by Lassiter's 16 points. Carter (12), Lewis (12) and Michelle Poindexter (10) also posted double-digits.
SIU, who has lost 11 straight games dating back to the end of the 2002-03 season, remains at home to host Big Ten Conference member Northwestern on Saturday, Dec. 20. Tip off is set for 2:05 p.m., at SIU Arena.
