Southern Illinois University
3-12, 0-5MVC
Drake
8-7, 2-2MVC
Drake tops Women's Basketball 73-59
01/12/2012 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2012
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Southern Illinois women's basketball team struggled to match Drake's physicality Thursday night as the Bulldogs pulled away late for a 73-59 win.
The Salukis (3-12, 0-5 MVC) turned the ball over 19 times, gave up a 48-30 rebounding advantage and couldn't find an answer for Drake center Rachael Hackbarth, who finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds.
"I don't like our lack of toughness tonight," said SIU head coach Missy Tiber. "We knew they were a physical team, but there is no excuse to come here and get out-rebounded by 18 and turn the ball over 19 times."
The Salukis traded blows with the Bulldogs (8-7, 2-2 MVC) throughout a back-and-forth first half before Drake ended the period on a 5-0 run to hold a 35-29 halftime advantage.
Southern mounted a 9-0 run out of the halftime locker room to take a 38-35 lead, keeping the Bulldogs scoreless through the first 4:35 of the second half. The Salukis would eventually push the advantage to six points at 44-38 with 13:49 to play.
"After we came out of the locker room at halftime, I was preaching that we needed to be tougher defensively and better rebounding the basketball," Tiber said. "We went on that stretch that they did not score, and I felt good. We went up six and we were playing confidently."
Drake halted SIU's run and shifted momentum back in its favor by scoring the next eight unanswered to take back the lead before eventually going up 54-45 by the 7:54 mark.
"I'm not sure what it was, by the 11-minute mark they had taken the lead and our kids faces just changed," Tiber said. "I don't know what happened to us."
The Salukis bounced back with a three-pointer by Antishia Wright and a layup by Cartaesha Macklin to cut the lead back to four points. The two teams traded baskets over the next few minutes before Teri Oliver hit another 3-pointer to again cut the Drake advantage to four at 61-57 with under four minutes to play.
Southern got a steal and a chance to cut the lead to two, but missed a layup and a putback in transition. The Bulldogs scored the next eight unanswered to push the lead to double figures with under a minute to go, and SIU couldn't recover.
Teri Oliver led SIU with 18 points while Cartaesha Macklin added 15 and Alexus Patterson had 12.
"We only got to the line 10 times tonight. That very much hurt us," Tiber said. "We have to get to the line more."
The Salukis travel to Omaha, Neb., Saturday to take on Drake at D.J. Sokol Arena.
