Southern Illinois University
11-12 (5-7MVC)
Missouri State
12-10 (8-3MVC
Women's Basketball drops road contest at Missouri State
02/10/2017 | 10:51:00 | Women's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri State fed the hot hand of Liza Fruendt, who scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Lady Bears to a 73-59 win over the Southern Illinois Salukis Friday evening inside the JQH Arena.
The Salukis (11-12, 5-7 MVC) were led by junior Kylie Giebelhausen, who finished with 19 points, six rebounds and a block. She now has 100 career blocks, becoming just the fourth Saluki to reach the century mark. Rishonda Napier scored 17 points and added four assists and two steals, while Kristen Nelson and Carlie Corrigan each chipped in seven points.
Southern couldn't find an answer for Fruendt, who finished with a career-high 24 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Earlier this season, Fruendt finished with a game-high 22 points in Missouri State's win at SIU on Jan. 15.
After the Salukis cut an 18-point Missouri State lead down to nine with 6:06 remaining in regulation, Fruendt hit a three that again pushed the Lady Bears lead to double-digits. Some two minutes later, a fastbreak layup off of a steal by Napier got Southern to within eight, 62-54. It was again Fruendt who knocked down a jumper to push Missouri State's lead back to double digits.
"We had to get a stop and Fruendt hit that outside shot with Giebelhausen in her face," fourth-year head coach Cindy Stein said. "You have to give Missouri State a lot of credit. They hit some big shots against some good defense."
Missouri State was also able to get four Salukis in foul trouble before the end of the first half, one of which was Napier. The Burbank, Calif. native played less than a minute in the second stanza after she picked up her second foul early in the period. Without Napier on the floor, the Lady Bears seized control, as they outscored the Salukis, 16-7 and closed the quarter on a 9-2 run.
"We lost the game because we didn't adjust to the physicality of the game," Stein said. "We had Kylie and Rishonda doing all the scoring and it puts a lot of pressure on those two young ladies when we don't have anyone seeing the gaps, finding a way to score and unfortunately our freshmen played like freshmen today."
The Salukis won the rebounding battle, 36-to-32, and turned 13 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points.
Southern travels to Wichita State on Sunday, Feb. 12 to tangle with the Shockers. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
