Southern Illinois University
7-3,0-0MVC
Western Illinois University
6-6,0-0Summit League
Salukis advance to Compass Challenge Championship Game with win over Leathernecks
12/19/2019 | 8:52:00 | Women's Basketball
SIU’s 13 three-pointers are the third-most in school history.
DeKalb, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (7-3) opened the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run and outscored Western Illinois, 23-9 in the stanza to defeat the Leathernecks, 79-65 Thursday afternoon inside the NIU Convocation Center.
With the win, SIU will play for the Compass Challenge Championship for the second-straight season. In a game that featured nine ties and 11 lead changes, Southern used the 1-2 punch of lights-out shooting and tenacious defense in the fourth quarter to knock Western down for the count. The Salukis shot 56.3-percent (9-of-16) from the field in the fourth and held the Leathernecks to just 20-percent shooting (3-of-15). SIU forced 17 Western turnovers and finished with a season-high 11 steals.
Southern got good crunch time minutes from a pair of reserves, Payton McCallister and Lauren Hartman. The duo each made a three that sparked SIU's 11-2 run and made contributions on defense that quelled Western's momentum. McCallister finished with nine points, three rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes while Hartman added seven points and four boards in 17 minutes.
"We had five spots on the floor that could score," seventh-year head coach Cindy Stein said of Southern's fourth quarter run. "(Western) was isolating our post players on defense and Abby and Lauren did a great job of recognizing that. They were learning on the floor and continued to get better as they played together."
Western, who came into the contest ranked third nationally in three-pointers attempted and fifth nationally in threes made, was held to a season-low 17 three-point attempts. It was not only a season-low, but the second-fewest attempted in a game by the Leathernecks in the last three seasons. Western's five-made threes, meanwhile, were its second-fewest of the season.
"They averaged 10 threes a game and they got five on us," Stein said. "Our kids fought really hard to take away the three. We knew we could potentially get into foul trouble because we were going to force them to put the ball on the floor. Makenzie got into foul trouble early, but she had a really strong second half."
Southern, on the other hand, was lights out from three-point range. SIU shot 43.3% (13-for-30) from three in the contest and its 13 threes are tied for the third-most in a game in school history. The Salukis ball movement was superb, as evidenced by their season-high 24 assists on 29 field goals. Six different Salukis dished out at least one assist, including four with four-plus assists, while SIU's 24 assists are its most against a DI opponent since 2001.
"We moved the ball extremely well," Stein said. "We had some really good playmakers on the floor that we're making the easy passes. We learned so much in the first half from what we didn't do right that we got into a better grove in the second half and saw the easier pass."
Four Salukis scored in double figures, led by Abby Brockmeyer's 11th career double-double. The Raymond, Ill. native finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Nicole Martin was a rebound shy of a double-double of her own, as she tallied 11 points, nine boards, two assists and a steal. Brockmeyer and Martin helped Southern win the battle of the boards, 44-to-30, as SIU's +14 rebounding margin was tied for its largest of the season.
Makenzie Silvey scored 15 points to go along with four assists, two steals and two rebounds while Kristen Nelson set a season-high with 15 points, tied her career-high with six rebounds and added five assists. Brittney Patrick chipped in five points, a season-high eight assists and three rebounds.
The Salukis (7-3) will take on Northern Illinois tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Compass Challenge Championship.
