Southern Illinois University
12-13, 6-8MVC
Evansville
9-16, 4-10MVC
Salukis suffer 74-61 setback to Purple Aces
02/17/2017 | 10:08:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Sara Dickey scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Evansville Purple Aces to a 74-61 win over the Southern Illinois Salukis Friday night at the SIU Arena.
Dickey finished 10-of-17 from the field, and 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. The Montezuma, Ind. native became the eighth player in Missouri Valley Conference history to score 2,000 career points with her 21st point of the evening, which came on a 3-ball with 1:40 remaining in the third quarter.
The win by the Purple Aces snapped a six game losing streak, as they improve to just 2-10 in their last 12 games, with both wins coming against the Salukis. Southern (12-13, 6-8 MVC) looked flat from the get-go, as Evansville opened on a 6-0 run and built a nine-point cushion (14-5) before the game's first media timeout.
"We played flat," fourth-year head coach Cindy Stein said. "I think we had four minutes of actually energized basketball. We played really flat. Can't blame it on youth. This time of the year you have to find a way to dig down and make it happen and unfortunately we did not."
There was no comeback for the Salukis this time around, who have already overcome three deficits of 15-points or more this season. The Purple Aces, however, snuffed out each of Southern's attempts to mount a rally, seemingly dialing up a Dickey 3-ball whenever the opportunity to thwart a Saluki resurgence arose.
The Salukis got to within single digits on three separate occasions in the second half, with a Dickey three-pointer twice pushing the Evansville advantage back to double figures. With 1:57 remaining in the third quarter, Rishonda Napier sank a three-pointer to get SIU to within nine, 54-45. On Evansville's next possession, Dickey curled around a screen at the top of the key and sank her sixth 3-ball to push the lead back to 12.
In the fourth quarter, the Salukis appeared to be gaining momentum after using a 9-0 run to cut a 16-point deficit down to seven with 6:46 remaining in regulation. But the Purple Aces again got the ball in the hands of their all-time leading scorer, who drained a three that effectively took all the wind out of Southern's sail.
"We found energy in spurts in the fourth quarter but by that time it was too late," Napier said. "If we would have started the game the way we played during that four minute spurt when we cut the lead to seven, the outcome of the game might have been different."
All 12 Salukis who dressed played at least five minutes, as Coach Stein shuffled her deck as much as she could in an attempt to get a response from her squad.
"From practice to practice, from game to game, I never know who is going to bring it that day because its someone different," Stein said. "We have not had a consistent chemistry, which has been very disappointing."
Southern was led by Kim Nebo and Kylie Giebelhausen, who both finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Napier added 12 points, five assists and two steals. 11 of the 12 Salukis who played recorded at least one point.
The Salukis return to action on Friday, Feb. 24 when they host the Illinois State Redbirds. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
