Southern Illinois University
13-8,5-5MVC
Drake University
16-6,8-2MVC
Salukis suffer setback at Drake
02/07/2020 | 10:02:00 | Women's Basketball
Southern's 19 steals were its most in a game since 2007.
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake Bulldogs (16-6, 8-2 MVC) used a 13-0 first quarter run to break an 11-all tie and build a lead it never relinquished in a 91-76 win over the Southern Illinois Salukis Friday night inside the Knapp Center.
The Salukis (13-8, 5-5) traded baskets with the Bulldogs through the first five minutes of play but went cold after the media timeout, as they missed their next seven shots. Drake took advantage, building a comfortable 13-point cushion, 24-11, with :43 to play in the first.
Southern got to within eight, 58-50 with four minutes to play in the third thanks to a 7-0 run highlighted by four of Martin's team-high 22 points. But that was as close as the Salukis could get.
SIU shot a modest 44.8-percent (30-for-67 from the field, the sixth-straight game in which they shot better than 40-percent from the floor. The Bulldogs, however, outdid Southern by shooing 63.5% (33-for-52) from the field, including 60% (15-for-25) from behind the arc.
"I'm not pleased with our play today," seventh-year head coach Cindy Stein said. "We had a lot of bonehead plays. We had a consistent lack of execution coming out of timeouts. We got to within nine points a couple of times and our defense needed to step up, but we didn't have anyone that wanted to be a stopper tonight."
Southern shot 66.7% (12-of-18) from the field during a third quarter that saw the Salukis score 31 points- its most in a third quarter since Dec. 12, 2015. But Drake again one-upped SIU by shooting 71.4% (10-for-14) in the frame and never allowed SIU to get to within any closer than nine.
The rowdy crowd of 2,882 in the Knapp Center was loud and vociferous. Cheering and jeering at every call, the crowd was the largest crowd Southern has played in front of on the road this season, which made a potential comeback all the more difficult.
"It's really hard when it is this loud in a building and our kids aren't used to it," Stein said. "I would love to have our crowd like this because our kids would be used to it. But we have to learn how to manage our energy and poise because there is so much going on and the building is shaking. When you have kids that haven't played in this kind of environment, they can get sped up. As much as I don't like the result, this can be a learning experience because this environment is hard to simulate."
The Salukis, who turned the Bulldogs over a season-high 27 times in their first meeting on Jan. 12, forced 24 Drake turnovers and finished with a season-high 19 steals Friday. Seven different Salukis recorded a steal, six of which tallied multiple takeaways. Southern's 19 steals are its most in a game since Nov. 12, 2007 in a 71-55 win over Christian Brothers.
Nicole Martin finished with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and two assists. It marked the third time this season that the senior from Jefferson City, Mo. has score 20-plus points and the 11th time she has done so in her career. Makenzie Silvey tallied 17 points, five assists and a season-high five steals while Kristen Nelson added 11 points four steals and two boards.
The Salukis are back in action on Sunday, Feb. 9 when they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on Northern Iowa Panthers. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
