Friday, December 9
Carbondale, Ill.
12 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
4-4
77
vs
70
Southeast Missouri State
5-6
1
2
3
4
F
Southeast Missouri State
22
16
15
17
70
Southern Illinois
16
21
13
27
77
Salukis rally for 77-70 win over Redhawks
12/09/2016 | 4:36:00 | Women's Basketball
SIU overcomes a 15-point first half deficit to notch its third-straight win over SEMO.
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Three scored in double figures for the Southern Illinois women's basketball team as the Salukis rallied from a 15-point first half deficit to defeat the SEMO Redhawks, 77-70 Friday, Dec. 9 inside the SIU Arena.
The Salukis (4-4) trailed by as many as 15 (32-17) in the first half, as a sluggish start resulted in nine first quarter turnovers that SEMO scored nine points off of. Southern took its first lead of the second half mid-way through the third quarter and claimed the lead for good with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Southern's upperclassmen led the way, as junior Kylie Giebelhausen and seniors Rishonda Napier and Kim Nebo combined to score 63 of Southern's 77 points (81.8%).
"It was a tale of two halves," fourth-year head coach Cindy Stein said. "The first half we were just surviving. In the second half we took control and did the things we needed to do and made the plays we needed to make. Our veteran leadership was really, really sound. They're the ones who came up with the big plays all night."
Giebelhausen finished with a career-high 26 points, with 17 points coming in the first half. She was 9-of-14 from the floor, including 5-of-6 from three and added a season-high eight rebounds to go along with three blocks and a steal.
"(Giebelhausen) is growing up in front of us," Stein said. "She's becoming a better rebounder, makes some key blocks and makes good decisions on the floor. She just makes a lot of good things happen."
Napier had her best scoring output of the season, as she finished with 20 points and five assists. It was an efficient night for the redshirt senior, as she shot 60% (6-of-10) from the field and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. She has now made 22-straight free throws to start the season.
"I thought (Napier's) stroke looked good and she made good decisions," Stein said. "She was a really good leader out on the floor."
Nebo notched her fourth career double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. After a relatively quiet first half with six points and five rebounds, SIU's point guards encouraged the Katy, Texas native to get more involved in the offense in the second half.
"We were coming off some momentum from coming back from 15, and at halftime we were only down one," said Napier. "So we were rolling off that momentum, and us guards told Kim, "demand the ball when were running plays. Make sure the play is for you and want the ball inside."
Nebo responded, as she scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed six rebounds in the final 20 minutes of play.
"I was very pleased with Kim's play," Stein said. "She wanted the ball. The timing of her post-ups were good. She was really good on the boards. She definitely came to play and was very focused on what she needed to do."
The Salukis shot 57.1% (28-of-49) from the floor, including 58.3% (7-of-12) from three-point territory. It's the best Southern has shot from the field since shooting 60% in a 70-65 loss to Evansville on January 2, 2009.
Southern returns to the SIU Arena Sunday, Dec. 11 to host the Memphis Tigers. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
The Salukis (4-4) trailed by as many as 15 (32-17) in the first half, as a sluggish start resulted in nine first quarter turnovers that SEMO scored nine points off of. Southern took its first lead of the second half mid-way through the third quarter and claimed the lead for good with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Southern's upperclassmen led the way, as junior Kylie Giebelhausen and seniors Rishonda Napier and Kim Nebo combined to score 63 of Southern's 77 points (81.8%).
"It was a tale of two halves," fourth-year head coach Cindy Stein said. "The first half we were just surviving. In the second half we took control and did the things we needed to do and made the plays we needed to make. Our veteran leadership was really, really sound. They're the ones who came up with the big plays all night."
Giebelhausen finished with a career-high 26 points, with 17 points coming in the first half. She was 9-of-14 from the floor, including 5-of-6 from three and added a season-high eight rebounds to go along with three blocks and a steal.
"(Giebelhausen) is growing up in front of us," Stein said. "She's becoming a better rebounder, makes some key blocks and makes good decisions on the floor. She just makes a lot of good things happen."
Napier had her best scoring output of the season, as she finished with 20 points and five assists. It was an efficient night for the redshirt senior, as she shot 60% (6-of-10) from the field and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. She has now made 22-straight free throws to start the season.
"I thought (Napier's) stroke looked good and she made good decisions," Stein said. "She was a really good leader out on the floor."
Nebo notched her fourth career double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. After a relatively quiet first half with six points and five rebounds, SIU's point guards encouraged the Katy, Texas native to get more involved in the offense in the second half.
"We were coming off some momentum from coming back from 15, and at halftime we were only down one," said Napier. "So we were rolling off that momentum, and us guards told Kim, "demand the ball when were running plays. Make sure the play is for you and want the ball inside."
Nebo responded, as she scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed six rebounds in the final 20 minutes of play.
"I was very pleased with Kim's play," Stein said. "She wanted the ball. The timing of her post-ups were good. She was really good on the boards. She definitely came to play and was very focused on what she needed to do."
The Salukis shot 57.1% (28-of-49) from the floor, including 58.3% (7-of-12) from three-point territory. It's the best Southern has shot from the field since shooting 60% in a 70-65 loss to Evansville on January 2, 2009.
Southern returns to the SIU Arena Sunday, Dec. 11 to host the Memphis Tigers. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
Team Stats
SEMO
SIU
FG%
.390
.571
3FG%
.250
.583
FT%
.455
.667
RB
40
35
TO
11
17
STL
9
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
9
3FGM
5
FTM
3
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballPG
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