Southern Illinois University
Quincy (Exh.)
Women's Basketball takes down Quincy in exhibition play
11/01/2009 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 1, 2009
By Shalae Patrick
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois women's basketball team opened exhibition play with a 67-59 victory over Division II Quincy Sunday afternoon in SIU Arena.
The Salukis return five players from last season's team and welcome nine newcomers, along with new head coach Missy Tiber for the 2009-10 season. Along with Tiber, comes a new fast-break oriented system.
"I guess for a first time effort and these kids just trying to figure out what this is all about I think they did okay," Tiber said of the debut. "But as you can see we've got a long way to go. They work hard, but they're just trying to figure out their roles in the system."
Southern Illinois jumped out to a quick lead to start the game on a Katrina Swingler 3-pointer before Quincy answered with one of its own.
The teams swapped leads three times, the Lady Hawks leading by as many as two, 7-9, with just over 15 minutes left in the first half before Eboni Crayton tied the game on a jumper.
Two Stephany Neptune free throws put the Salukis up for good at 14:02.
SIU led by as many as six with 1:27 left in the half before the Lady Hawks would threaten draining two threes and a free throw to pull within one point, 37-36. The Salukis held them off, getting to the free throw line twice, hitting all four to take a 39-36 lead into the lockerroom at the break.
The Salukis came out in the second half on a 9-to-2 run spurred by two Neptune buckets, a Christine Presswood jumper and a 3-pointer from Teri Oliver.
SIU would maintain their double-digit lead, ahead by as many as 15, but scored just seven points in the final eight and half minutes of play, shooting 3-of-9 from the field down the stretch, committing 10 of their 17 second-half turnovers in the final eight minutes to cut their lead to eight.
Crayton led the Salukis with 15 points and eight boards, all her points coming in the first half. Presswood added 13 points and 11 boards for her first-career double-double, adding three assists, a block and a steal.
Katie Wagner, a four-year letterwinner on the Saluki softball team, scored 12 points in her basketball debut, adding five rebounds, while Swingler finished with nine points, 10 rebounds, two assists and four steals.
"Obviously, I'm extremely disappointed in the turnovers and the offensive rebounds," Tiber said. "But our mindset coming into this game was to guard the three point line I wasn't happy with that at half time and we tightened up in the second half and then they started to put the ball on the floor."
The Salukis shot nearly 40 percent (24-of-61) from the field, out-rebounding the Lady Hawks 52-to-48 with just 12 offensive boards.
Quincy, who shot 4-of-13 from the 3-point line in the first half was held to just 1-of-15 from beyond the arc in the second half. QU shot just 29 percent from the field in the contest and just 55 percent (12-of-22) from the free throw line.
"Giving up 59 points I can live with," Tiber said. "But 67 points is not enough for us, so we have to get better at taking care of the ball so we can get a lot more points scored."
The Salukis will host Washington University (Mo.), the 2009 NCAA Division III runner-up, at 6 p.m. next Saturday, Nov. 7, in the final tuneup before their season opener Nov. 13 at Saint Louis.
