Southern Illinois University
0-2,0-0MVC
Eastern Kentucky
1-2,0-0ASUN
Recap | Salukis Drop Home Opener, 70-49, to Eastern Kentucky
11/10/2024 | 5:41:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (0-2) fell to Eastern Kentucky, 70-49, in its home opener on Sunday.
"I understand anxiety, I understand nerves when you're in a new position," head coach Kelly Bond-White said. "But we talked about opportunity. You can't control the events that happened in terms of injury, in terms of health. We will not rest our head on that. All that you can control is how you respond to that and that's what I was most disappointed with today."
Freshman Isabella Palmqvist led the Salukis with 10 points in a team-high 31 minutes in Sunday's loss.
Southern got off to a slow start offensively, scoring eight points in the first quarter as opposed to Eastern Kentucky's 20. The Colonels shot 4-of-9 from deep to score their 20 points, with Liz Freihofer leading the way with eight points and 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Salukis went from a field-goal percentage of 22.2% in the first quarter to 38.5% in the second, but were still out-scored, 17-15. Ternadoo Agatha Agba hit Southern Illinois' lone three-pointer in the quarter.
At the half, SIU trailed by a score of 37-23. The Salukis shot 29.0% from the field, 1-of-5 from deep, and 4-of-6 at the free throw line in the first half. Gift Uchenna scored four points but had 10 rebounds and two blocks in the opening 20 minutes.
Eastern Kentucky paced the Saluks, 17-11, in the third. Tkiyah Nelson posted six points in the quarter for Southern, but was the only Saluki to hit more than one field goal in the period. SIU had six turnovers compared to the Colonels' two.
The visitors put the finishing touches on their road victory in the fourth quarter, out-scoring the Salukis, 16-15. Eastern Kentucky shot 41.2% from the field in the fourth, while Southern Illinois' field-goal percentage dipped back to under 30% at 28.6%. EKU won by a final of 70-49.
Nelson's nine points were second on the team behind Palmqvist's 10. Southern Illinois tallied a field-goal percentage of 30.0% for the game and shot 20.0% from deep. Eastern Kentucky out-rebounded SIU, 54-39, and forced 19 Saluki turnovers. Southern forced 13 on the other end.
Southern Illinois, now 0-2, will look to get into the win column on Wednesday, Nov. 13, when it hosts Louisiana at Monroe at 6 p.m.
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