Late comeback falls short for Women's Basketball
11/24/2010 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2010
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- A late game comeback by the Southern Illinois women's basketball team fell short Wednesday night as the Salukis fell 56-52 at Western Michigan.
The Salukis rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes of the game to pull within one point, but a series of mishaps in the final 30 seconds cost Southern (0-4) its first win of the season.
The Salukis had a chance to take the lead late in the game after coming up with a big defensive stop with 34.3 seconds left and the Broncos leading 53-52. Senior forward Katrina Swingler was whistled for an offensive foul on the ensuing possession, however, giving the Broncos the ball right back.
At the other end, SIU fouled WMU guard Taylor Manley to stop the clock with 7.3 seconds remaining. Manley hit the first toss and missed the second, but the rebound bounced out-of-bounds off SIU forward Charnise Mitchell. The Salukis fouled again and Brenna Bankston hit a pair of free throws to push the game out of reach. The five seconds remaining wasn't enough time to overcome a two-possession deficit.
Losing the ball on back-to-back possessions in the waning seconds epitomized the game for the Salukis. Every time Southern fell into a rhythm throughout the night, a costly turnover shifted momentum back to the Broncos. SIU finished the game with 24 turnovers compared with WMU's 14.
"We are just not taking care of the ball," SIU coach Missy Tiber said. "We are just not making smart plays and we are not valuing every possession. I just hope that at some point our girls realize how we have to value every possession."
As has been a theme for the Salukis in an 0-4 start, Southern struggled offensively early in the game but was able to hang with the Broncos thanks to a steady defense.
Southern didn't score its first points of the game until the 14:36 mark on a free throw by freshman center CiCi Shannon and didn't make a field goal until Shannon hit a layup at 14:09.
SIU shot 26.1 percent from the field on 6-of-23 shooting in the first half, but trailed just 24-20 at the break after holding the Broncos to a 31.3 percent clip (10-of-32).
Saluki sophomore Teri Oliver nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 27-27 with 16:22 remaining and Shannon gave SIU it's first lead at 30-27 with a layup and a free throw a minute later.
WMU responded with an 8-0 run, however, and the Broncos held off Southern's late-game push to improve to 2-2.
Shannon had another big night for the Salukis with 15 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. The six blocks tied the second-highest single-game mark in school history.
"What more could you want form a freshman center," Tiber said. "She comes in the gym and works hard every day. I couldn't be more happy with her."
Also for the Salukis, Oliver finished with 15 points and six rebounds while Brooke LeMar added seven points and six assists. The Salukis are back in Carbondale Sunday, Nov. 28, to take on Austin Peay.