Southern Illinois University
8-6 (1-2MVC)
Drake University
9-6 (4-0MVC)
Drake runs away from SIU, 81-66
01/11/2015 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
By Tyler Wooten
SIUSalukis.com
DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Saluki women's basketball team fought shot-for-shot with the high-flying offense of Drake early on, but the Bulldogs eventually separated in the second half to pull out an 81-66 victory over the Salukis at the Knapp Center on Sunday afternoon.
Southern (8-6, 1-2 MVC) looked sharp in the first half against a Drake (9-6, 4-0 MVC) offense that averaged 84.0 points per game in Missouri Valley play entering Sunday. Eventually the pace of the game and the efficient shooting of the Bulldogs caught up with the Salukis in the end -- who managed to win the rebounding margin and got more attempts off from the field nonetheless.
"I felt like Drake out-hustled us, and that's always very disappointing," said SIU head coach Cindy Stein. "But, I will say this: when you look at our play, we out-rebounded Drake, we kept them to only 11 assists, we had 17 offensive boards and we can't convert off of those. We put more shots up than the highest-scoring team in the Valley and we can't outscore them. Those are the things that disappoint me."
All seven lead changes in Sunday's game came in the first six minutes of the game, during which Southern was 7-of-12 from the field. Tied at 15-15 at the 13:27 mark, the Bulldogs got a three-pointer from the Valley's leading scorer Lizzy Wendell (21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, 9-of-18 FG) and never looked back. Wendell's three sparked a 24-8 run over much of the half until the Salukis fought back with a 6-0 run to close out and reign in Drake's halftime lead to 10 points at 42-32.
Drake didn't slow down in the second half, although the Salukis did claw their way back within seven points a couple times -- exclusively on the backs of Cartaesha Macklin (21 points, 11 rebounds, 10-of-19 FG) and Azia Washington (14 points, five rebounds, 7-of-11 FG). Macklin sparked an SIU run after the Salukis went 5:20 without a point and 6:20 without a field goal, and she also hauled in six of her nine offensive rebounds in the second half.
Unfortunately, Southern could do nothing to slow down the Bulldog offensive attack, which capitalized on a 63 percent mark from the field in the second half alone. Drake ended up with four in double-digits, including two above 20 points in Wendell and point guard Caitlin Ingle (20 points, six assists).
The Bulldog defense was also effective at canceling out Preseason All-MVC center Dyana Pierre (two points, three rebounds), who did not score until 2:17 remained in the game.
"They did a great job of taking our inside game away," Stein said. "It's obvious that teams are going to trap us. (Dyana) has done a pretty good job so far of learning how to handle it but she did not handle it today. That's just something where we'll have to go back and show her some film and help her get better in that area."
For Macklin, this is her seventh career double-double and her first since she had a points-assist double-double against Bradley on March 1, 2013. In addition to Macklin and Washington, Rishonda Napier posted her 14th straight game in double-digit scoring in as many opportunities this season with 12 points and five assists. Also, freshman Kylie Giebelhausen broke out of a recent scoring funk with an 11-point effort on 3-of-7 three-point shooting.
"I loved Cartaesha's play today," Stein said. "She really saw the gaps, saw what was open, and was doing everything she could to help us win."
The Salukis fall to 8-6 overall and 1-2 in Valley play, but have a chance to bounce back at home this weekend. Southern returns to SIU Arena for the first time since Dec. 16 when Indiana State and Evansville come into Carbodnale on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
"What we've tried to make clear to our kids is if you're serious about wanting to win any kind of championship, you got to do it by winning on the road," Stein said. "We've done a decent job on the road but we've got to continue getting better. But now it's all about defending our home court."
