Southern Illinois University
6-10,3-8MVC
Drake University
12-8,10-3MVC
Bulldogs earn wire-to-wire win over Salukis
02/12/2021 | 9:55:00 | Women's Basketball
DES MOINES - The Drake Bulldogs led from start to finish in a 83-54 win over the Southern Illinois Salukis Friday evening inside the Knapp Center.
The Salukis trailed by 11 at the half and were within striking distance before the Bulldogs scored the first eight points of the second half to build a 19-point advantage. In total, Drake outscored SIU, 25-13 in the third quarter to put the game to bed and seal the series sweep.
"Drake did a really good job of continuing to attack us," head coach Cindy Stein said. "They put us on the defensive. They pushed the ball up the court quickly and it was hard to get into our matchups because of that. We got caught on a lot of stuff that's hard to guard at such a fast pace."
The Bulldogs kept their foot on the figurative pedal, as they shot 66-percent (8-of-12) from the field in the fourth quarter and held Southern to 31-percent (5-of-16) shooting in the frame to put the game on ice.
Early foul trouble forced Southern to go to its bench earlier than it might have liked, as Gabby Walker and Adrianna Katcher each picked up two first quarter fouls. The Salukis went with four guards at times and had five-foot-ten Rachel Pudlowski at the five. And while Pudlowski fared admirably, the Bulldogs were able to exploit the mismatch to tune of a 50-to-18 advantage in points scored in the paint.
"We knew Drake has a deep rotation and we tried to bring in what size we have," Stein said. "But there were times we had four guards out on the floor with Rachel Pudlowski, who has played inside this season but is really a guard. We just got into a pickle when we got into foul trouble and that threw off the timing of a lot of our stuff. But credit Drake's defense. They put a lot more pressure on us today compared to yesterday. Easy shots weren't as easy today and we really had to search for good shots."
The Salukis were led by Makenzie Silvey, who finished with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 30 minutes of play. Rachel Pudlowski tied her career-high with 12 points to go along with five boards and three steals while Caitlin Link added eight points and five assists.
The Bulldogs used good ball movement to find open shooters and seemed to dial up a run whenever Southern tried to rally. Drake, who ranks fourth nationally in assists, dished out 26 helpers on 33 field goals. The Bulldogs also shot 58.9% (33-of-56) from the field and turned 23 Saluki turnovers in 32 points.
The Salukis won the battle of the boards, 34-to-27, which included 16 offensive boards. It marked the third-straight game in which Southern has out-rebounded its opponent.
Drake scored the game's first seven points and led by as many as 12 in the first quarter. Southern came alive and used a 15-3 run to tie the contest at 23-all. The Bulldogs, however, scored 12-unanswered points to build its lead back to double-digits before the end of the first half. Drake right back where they left of in the second half, as they scored eight-straight points to put the game out of reach.
The Salukis continue their road swing on Friday, Feb. 19 when they travel to take on the Indiana State Sycamores. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. CT.
