Southern Illinois University
2-15, 0-6MVC
Bradley
9-9, 2-5MVC
Bradley downs Women's Basketball 80-44
01/21/2011 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 21, 2011
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
PEORIA, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois women's basketball team continued its offensive struggles and fell victim to a hot-shooting Bradley squad in an 80-44 loss Friday night at Renaissance Coliseum.
Playing short-handed for the second consecutive game, the Salukis (2-15, 0-6 MVC) turned the ball over 30 times and managed just 14 field goals against the Braves (9-9, 2-5 MVC).
"What I am trying to get them to have a sense of urgency about competing on every single possession," said SIU coach Missy Tiber. "That is what we talked about after the game. That's what we talked about all week long."
The Salukis scored the game's opening bucket, but 2-0 was the only lead the Salukis would know all night. Southern turned the ball over on its next four possessions, quickly finding itself down double digits at 13-2 by the first media timeout.
The offensive drought continued for the Salukis through the first 10 minutes as the Braves continued to knock down shots, pushing the lead to 20 at 25-5. Once the advantage reached 25 points at 33-8, Southern finally showed some signs of life.
Jordyn Courier hit a 3-pointer and Raquel Miller knocked down a jumper to pull back within 20, but the series was the only instance in the first half of Southern scoring on consecutive possessions. Bradley would answer with a run of its own to again go back up by 25 before settling on a 39-17 halftime lead.
"There were times when we were able to get up and down the court," Tiber said. "You will se a flash here and there of how we hope to play in the future."
Bradley shot a blistering 56.6 percent form the field in the first half on 13-of-23 shooting and made 10-of-12 free throws in the opening frame. Meanwhile, the Salukis shot just 30 percent in the half and only went to the line five times.
SIU opened the second half by scoring the first basket on a 3-pointer by Renee Reed, but again the early bucket couldn't jumpstart the Salukis. The Braves scored the next 12 points and Southern didn't manage another score until Charnise Mitchell hit a layup almost five minutes in.
The Salukis eventually got a few shots to fall and got big contributions from freshman center CiCi Shannon at the free throw line, but the defense never did find a way to slow down Bradley's offense.
Shannon scored a team-high 11 points, including a 7-for-8 performance from the free throw line, while posting seven rebounds and six blocks. Tiber said Shannon continues to be a bright spot in some ugly losses.
"CiCi played well again tonight. I really didn't want to take her out of the game much," Tiber said. "She played really solid defensively against anyone she faced tonight, and they were rotating in several players."
Also for the Salukis, Renee Reed chipped in 10 points while Brooke LeMar tied a career best with seven assists.
The Salukis finish up a three-game Valley road trip Sunday at Northern Iowa, with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
