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Women's Basketball pull out victory over Creighton in overtime, 75-74
Jan. 20, 2008 By Shalae Patrick
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois women's basketball team put six players in double-figures, committing just four turnovers, to pull out an overtime victory against Creighton, 75-74, Sunday afternoon in SIU Arena. The victory moves the Salukis to 7-9 overall and an even 3-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play, splitting the first three weekends of league play. The Bluejays fall to 9-7 on the season, 2-3 in Valley play. "We wanted to really challenge (Creighton) and our seniors really rose to the occasion today," Saluki head coach Dana Eikenberg said. "I thought they did a terrific job of playing within themselves and within the system." Southern led by as many as nine in the first half on two free throws by Tanaeya Worden with 7:43 left in the period. Creighton used the following six and a half minutes to go on a 14-to-5 run to tie the game at 35 heading into the locker room at the break. Creighton led most of the second half, its largest lead of five with just under 17 minutes left in the half. The game was tied three times in the last minute and half of regulation. SIU's Erin Pauk put up two of her team-high 17 points with a layup to tie the game at 59. Creighton's Kelsey Woodard and Southern's Cortney Sales traded two jumpers each to put the game into overtime at 63-63. In overtime, the Salukis went up by a quick eight points, Woodard scoring the final nine points of the overtime for Creighton to put the Bluejays up 74-73. Southern came out of a timeout with 26 seconds left in overtime to set up a Jayme Sweere jumper to go up 75-74. Woodard missed a jumper for Creighton with two seconds left as Erica Smith grabbed the rebound as the buzzer sounded.
"I give credit to our seniors who are really just keeping it together," Eikenberg said. "We tried to give it away at the free throw line. Cortney (Sales) hitting the big shot in regulation. Jayme (Sweere) taking the shot in overtime and defensively kind of just keeping in there and battling." The Salukis capitalized on 18 Bluejay turnovers, turning them into 24 points, despite being out-rebounded by 15 (53-to-38) and shooting just 50 percent from the free throw line (11-of-22). Along with Pauk in double-figures, Sweere, Smith and Ellen Young all put up 11 points each. Sales and Katrina Swingler chipped in 10 apiece. Woodard finished with a game-high 25 points for Creighton. The Salukis turnover total (4) ties a school record low set in a game against Memphis State in March, 1983. SIU returns to the road for three games, the next game at Evansville, Saturday, Jan. 26 for a 5 p.m. tip-off. |
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