Southern Illinois University
6-15, 2-10
Creighton
16-6, 9-4MVC
Women's Basketball Stuns First-Place Creighton, 70-63
02/16/2003 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2003
Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois (6-15, 2-10) held Creighton (16-6, 9-4) to a mere 27 percent shooting for the game en route to a stunning 70-63 upset earlier today at SIU Arena. Molly McDowell led all Saluki scorers with 26 points, while Dana Pinkston (16 pts., 11 reb.) and Katie Berwanger (10 pts., 13 reb.) each posted double-doubles.
The Saluki win snapped a five-game losing streak against the Bluejays and marked the first over Creighton at SIU Arena since 1996. Not to mention, the win also knocked Creighton out of first place after the Bluejays stood tied atop the league prior to today's game.
Pinkston hit a pair of three-pointers to ignite a 17-7 Saluki run eight minutes into the first half, as Creighton shot 3-of-20 (.150) from the field in the opening 10:22 of the game.
After a free throw by Pinkston gave the Dawgs a 24-14 lead with 6:15 left to play, the Bluejays used a 13-4 run to cut SIU's lead to 28-27 at the break. During the spurt, Creighton hit two three-pointers, including a one by Dana Finch as time expired.
Pinkston caught fire for 13 first half points on 5-of-10 field goals and 2-of-4 three-pointers.
Creighton opened the second half with a 13-7 run sparked by a trio of Laura Spanheimer 3-pointers, to build a 42-35 lead with 15:34 remaining.
Molly McDowell, however, scored six of SIU's next seven points to regain a 43-42 lead at the 12:48 mark.
From then on, SIU outscored Creighton 23-15 over a period of ten minutes and forty seconds to build a nine-point lead (66-57) with just 2:08 on the clock.
In the final 2:08, a Finch three-pointer pulled Creighton to within six (69-63) with 33 seconds left, but that was as close as the Jays would get, as SIU held on to pull off the 70-63 stunner.
McDowell led all Saluki scorers with 26 points. Hitting 8-of-17 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line, she also dished out one assist, gathered two blocks and had four steals.
She was followed by Pinkston who finished with a double-double 16 points and 11 boards, despite being held to just three points in the second half. Berwanger rounded out the Dawgs' attack shooting 5-of-13 from the floor en route to her 10-point, 13-rebound effort.
Creighton was led by Spanheimer's 14 points which included 12 from three-point range.
The Bluejays' leading scorer, Christy Neneman (17.6 ppg) was held to just six points. Neneman did not make a field goal in her first 10 attempts of the game.
For the game, Creighton shot a chilling 23-of-84 from the field, while SIU hit 26-of-66 for 39 percent. The Salukis also out-rebounded the Jays by a whopping 62-42 mark. The 62-rebound effort fell just two boards shy of tying a single-game record.
SIU will travel to Indiana State on Thursday, Feb. 20 (6 p.m.). The Sycamores gained sole possession of first place in the Valley after the Salukis' win over Creighton today.
