Southern Illinois University
5-15, 1-10MVC
Drake
13-8, 8-4MVC
Women's Basketball Loses to Drake, 73-59
02/14/2003 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2003
Carbondale, Ill. - Carla Bennett scored 18 points and Ja'Nae Mosley chipped in 17 to lead Drake (13-8, 8-4) to a 73-59 win over Southern Illinois (5-15, 1-10) earlier tonight at SIU Arena.
The win marked the Bulldogs' 15th straight over the Salukis and seventh in a row at SIU Arena.
Solid defense by both teams made it difficult to score points, as SIU and Drake combined to go scoreless for eight minutes and thirty-two seconds of the first half.
After SIU jumped out to a 5-0 lead following a Tiffany Crutcher jumper and a Dana Pinkston three-pointer, Drake did not counter with a basket until 4:28 into the opening stanza.
Bennett scored the Bulldogs' first points at the 15:32 mark, and from then on, swarming defense on both ends of the floor forced the two teams into seven ties, before Drake carried a 28-27 lead into the locker room.
Both teams shot an identical 39 percent from the field and grabbed 16 rebounds in the first half. Drake and SIU were also nearly even in turnovers (SIU 12, DU 11), assists (DU 5, SIU 4) and steals (DU 6, SIU 5).
After shooting just 4-of-6 free throws in the first half, Drake converted 15 SIU fouls into a stunning 22-of-26 at the foul line in the game's final 20 minutes.
Following a Crutcher free throw which pulled SIU to within one (29-28) with 18:20 left to play, the Bulldogs slowly began to pull away.
Ahead by three (37-34) at the 14:50 mark, Drake fueled a 5-0 run thanks to a pair of Cydney Franklin free throws and a three-pointer by Nicole Denmon. The little spurt gave the Bulldogs a 42-34 lead with 11:48 remaining.
From then on, it seemed whenever SIU would foul, the Bulldogs would come up big at the foul line. Huge was more the word, as the Bulldogs made 16 clutch free throws in the last 8:58 of the game to seal the 73-59 win.
Bennett stepped up to score 11 points in the second half to polish off her 18-point effort. She went 6-of-14 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free throw line, while pulling down seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Mosley made 5-of-15 field goals and a perfect 7-of-7 free throws. Mandy Kappel also posted double-digits with 12 points.
Molly McDowell led all Saluki scorers with 23 points, marking her 13th time scoring in double figures this season. McDowell, who became the school's all-time leader in free throws made, went 7-of-18 from the field and a near-perfect 9-of-10 at the charity stripe. McDowell, who now stands with 329 career free throws, surpassed Char Warring's 326 from 1980-84. Crutcher also scored 13 points to pace the Dawgs.
SIU will return to action Sunday, Feb. 16, when it hosts Creighton at 2:05 p.m.
