Southern Illinois University
6-8, 2-3
Missouri State
7-6, 1-3
Women's Basketball falls to Missouri State, 69-52
01/12/2006 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2006
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Kari Koch scored a game-high 28 points, as Missouri State (7-6, 1-3) held Southern Illinois (6-8, 2-3) to six points in the last 9:17 of the game before winning, 69-52, earlier tonight in front of a crowd of 6,102 at Hammons Student Center.
The win marked MSU's first in league play and 18th-straight against SIU.
"It was a hard-fought ballgame and a game of runs," said Saluki head coach Dana Eikenberg. "We did some good things and made some good adjustments, but struggled to contain in transition."
After falling behind 24-11 with 6:37 remaining, SIU closed out the first half with an 11-4 run behind seven points from freshman Teresa Parker. Following the surge, SIU trailed, 28-22, at the break.
SIU kept fighting in the second half, where jumpers by Jayme Sweere (34-31) and Carlai Moore (36-33) pulled the Dawgs to within three on two occasions in the first 4:39 of the half.
The Lady Bears, however, answered each of those threats with buckets of their own.
SIU hung with the Lady Bears all the way until the last 9:31 of the game. It was then, where foul trouble caught up with the Dawgs.
SIU trailed, 52-46, when Moore was whistled for her team's 10th foul at the 9:02 mark. The Lady Bears capitalized on the early double bonus situation by hitting 7-of-8 free throws as part of a 17-6 run to ice the 69-52 win.
Koch, the Valley's leading scorer, shot 10-of-20 from the field and 6-of-8 at the free throw line to lead MSU with 28 points, including 18 in the second half. She also pulled down seven rebounds, dished out a team-leading five assists, gathered one block and had one steal in 39 minutes.
Koch's six free throws spearheaded a total of 15 for MSU. After shooting 1-of-3 in the first half, the Lady Bears knocked down 14-of-18 in the second to finish off a 15-of-21 effort on the night.
MSU also shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the floor in the second half.
Moore led the Dawgs with 20 points on 6-of-14 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws. She has scored 20 or more points seven times this year, and has led SIU in scoring the last eight games.
Jayme Sweere followed with 11 points, while Parker added a career-high 11.
Sweere, a native of Springfield, Mo., later addressed the return to her hometown.
"It was good to be home and to play in this environment that I've seen my whole life," said Sweere.
SIU, who leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage defense, limited MSU to just 4-of-20 (20.0 percent) from behind the arc. The Salukis also outrebounded the Lady Bears, 43-37. Those 43 boards marked a season-high.
SIU stays on the road to visit Wichita State on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Shockers are currently 6-0 at home this season.
