Southern Illinois University
5-4,0-0MVC
University of Illinois
5-6,0-1Big Ten
Salukis run away from Fighting Illini, 66-51
12/19/2021 | 5:14:00 | Women's Basketball
Southern’s win over the University of Illinois is its first since 1993.
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Three Salukis scored in double figures to help the Southern Illinois University women's basketball team run away from the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, 66-51, Sunday afternoon inside Banterra Center.
The Salukis were locked in both offensively and defensively from the jump, as they scored 16-straight points in the first quarter to race out to a 16-4 lead. After that, Southern's lead was never less than eight and grew to as many as 21. The convincing win was SIU's first over Illinois since 1993.
"I'm really proud of our team because to win this game we had to play with a lot of toughness and grit," head coach Cindy Stein said. "They are a very athletic team and they cause a lot of chaos defensively with how often they trap. Our kids did a great job of keeping their composure and we got rebounds and knocked down shots when we needed them. Our experience on the floor was a big plus for us."
Southern was a force on the glass despite being noticeably undersized in comparison to the Illini. Despite giving up several inches at nearly every position, the Salukis snagged a season-high 19 offensive rebounds and tied a season-best with a +18 rebounding advantage, out-rebounding Illinois, 43-to-25. SIU also scored 21 of its 66 points off of second chance opportunities.
"Our offensive rebounding was crucial today," Gabby Walker said. "Our coaches have been getting on us a lot about rebounding lately. We were undersized but it didn't stop us from working hard. This game was a really big boost for our confidence."
Walker and her fellow fifth-year seniors, Abby Brockmeyer and Makenzie Silvey, were integral for the Salukis in the win. Walker finished a rebound shy of a double-double, as she went for 17 points and nine rebounds. Brockmeyer was one point shy of her own double-double, as she tallied nine points and 13 rebounds. Silvey, meanwhile, scored a game-high 19 points on 9-of-18 shooting as her personal 6-0 run midway through the third quarter stymied any chance of a Illini comeback.
"Makenzie, Gabby and Abby take turns taking over," Stein said of her fifth-year seniors. "We needed someone to step up at that point in the game and we could tell Makenzie was gaining confidence as the game went along. She played great and the fact that she is able to play every position on the floor as well as bring the ball up the court gives us a lot of versatility."
After the Illini opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run to shrink its deficit to 10 with six minutes to go in the stanza, Silvey went to work. She made back-to-back layups and capped off the 6-0 run with a step back jumper to push Southern's lead back to 16 with just over four minutes remaining in the period.
"Our third quarters are never the best," Silvey said. "We knew we needed some baskets and to get some stops because we knew we couldn't let them get back into the game and regain their confidence. They are a Big Ten team that is talented and won't give up, so those were big buckets for us."
The Salukis won't have long to celebrate their first win over a Big Ten program since 2016. The No. 10-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, who are currently second in the Big Ten, await the Salukis on Thursday, Dec. 23.
"We've got one of the best teams in the Big Ten coming up this week, so we're going to enjoy this win for a couple of hours and then get ready for Indiana tonight," Silvey said.
