MONDAY'S SCORES
@Western Illinois 80, Stephens College 51
@Dayton 75,
SIUE 74
@Missouri 96,
Southern Indiana 62
WESTERN ILLINOIS 80, STEPHENS COLLEGE 51
MACOMB, Ill. - In front of a record-breaking crowd, Western Illinois Women's basketball earned their fourth win in a row, defeating Stephens College 80-51 inside Western Hall. The Leathernecks move to 5-1 on the season.
Western Illinois started strong with a 7-0 run in the game's opening moments. Despite a brief 6-0 response from Stephens College, WIU extended their lead with a commanding 10-0 run. The first quarter concluded with Addi Brownfield hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer, putting WIU ahead 26-12.
Anna Deets stretched WIU's lead to 17 points (34-17) in the first half with a basket and a foul at the 3:39 mark in the second quarter. However, Stephens College managed to trim the deficit to 34-25 by closing the half on an 8-0 run.
The Leathernecks opened the second half with authority, going on a 15-3 run and establishing a commanding 49-28 lead. WIU maintained a comfortable advantage, with contributions from players like Alissa Dins, Mallory McDermott, and Carla Flores, holding a 21-point lead at one point.
Jasmine Nichols expanded WIU's lead to 25 points (64-39) with a layup, and McDermott's three-pointer with 3:04 left further increased the lead to 27 points. Ainsley Holthaus added a three-pointer with 1:25 remaining, giving WIU their largest lead at 29 points.
Anna Deets led the scoring with an impressive 16 points on 5-8 shooting, perfect from the free-throw line. Mallory McDermott contributed 15 points, hitting 5 of 7 three-pointers. Addi Brownfield showcased an all-around performance with 13 points, six assists, and three rebounds, while Jasmine Nichols scored 12. Alissa Dins made her presence felt on the boards with eight rebounds.
WIU displayed efficient shooting as a team, with a 52% field goal percentage, 50% from three-point range, and a solid 70% from the free-throw line. The comprehensive team effort resulted in a convincing victory for Western Illinois.
DAYTON 75, SIUE 74
DAYTON, Ohio - KK Rodriguez gave SIUE a one-point lead with seven seconds remaining on a three-pointer, but Dayton found a go-ahead basket three seconds later following a timeout to down the Cougars, 75-74 on Monday night at UD Arena.
The Cougars drop to 1-5 in their 2023 nonconference slate. Dayton improves to 2-3 overall. In SIUE's last four losses, the Cougars have fallen by a combined 10 points.
SIUE concluded the game shooting 43 percent (25-58) overall and 15-19 from the free throw line. The Cougars shot 9-20 from deep. Dayton wrapped the contest 38 percent (29-75) from the floor while going 15-21 from the stripe.
Rodriguez, who entered the game eighth in the nation in total points scored, led SIUE with 33 points, tying a career high. She has scored 30 or more points in three of her last four outings.
The graduate guard concluded the contest 11-21 from the floor, 7-9 at the stripe, and 4-5 from three-point land. She also led the Cougars with six rebounds, the third time she has commanded SIUE on the boards this season. The St. Louis native also dished out four assists and grabbed four steals.
The Flyers controlled the glass, outrebounding the Cougars 51-34 and 25-9 offensively, scoring 26 on second chance opportunities.
Coming off the bench, Olivia Clayton scored a career-high 11 points. She was 4-8 from the field and 3-4 at the free throw line. She also grabbed five rebounds.
Macy Silvey and Ava Stoller contributed five rebounds apiece while scoring eight and seven points, respectively. Stoller also dished out four of the Cougars' 14 assists.
Defensively, SIUE recorded a season-high six blocks. Halle Smith led the way with three while Clayton added two.
MISSOURI 96, SOUTHERN INDIANA 62
COLUMBIA, Mo. - In the first road test of the season for University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball, the Screaming Eagles took on the University of Missouri at Mizzou Arena Monday night, falling 96-62.
Following a 3-0 start to the 2023-24 season, the Screaming Eagles traveled to Columbia, Missouri to battle their first-ever opponent from the Southeastern Conference and the first of three Power-5 opponents on the non-conference schedule.
In the immediate minutes succeeding the opening tip, Southern Indiana generated some good looks on the offensive end. Junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) knocked down a mid-range jumper in the game's first possession to quickly get USI on the scoreboard. A minute later, redshirt senior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) swished a second-chance three-pointer to put the Eagles ahead, 5-2. USI then scored back-to-back baskets by freshman guard Triniti Ralston (Louisville, Kentucky) and senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) to take a 13-8 advantage at the 5:25 mark. The Screaming Eagles' early chances were created off defensive stops on the other end of the court. Before the end of the opening period, Missouri cranked up the offense to take a 22-15 lead into the second period.
The Tiger's offense stayed hot in the second 10 minutes, especially from beyond the arc. The Tigers jumped to a 32-16 margin two minutes into the second. USI responded in the middle of the quarter with a layup by senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) and another triple from Blackwell to make it a 14-point difference, 35-21. Missouri continued to cash in from three, hitting nine first-half threes, which led to a 51-27 halftime lead for the home squad.
Out of the intermission, Webb recorded consecutive buckets for USI in the first minute of the second half. As Missouri's lethal shooting from outside resumed in the third quarter, Shafford answered with a pair of threes for the Eagles in the middle of the period. Trailing 77-47 late in the third, Southern Indiana closed the third with a 7-0 run in the last two minutes to make it 77-54. Freshman guard Sophia Loden (Mascoutah, Illinois) tallied solid minutes and scored a triple in the latter portion of the third quarter. In the final play of the third, Ralston got a takeaway and went all the way to the hoop for the score, finishing off a 27-point third quarter for USI.
To close out the game in the fourth quarter, defenses were tough with shots from the floor hard to come by. Southern Indiana's defense held Missouri scoreless for four minutes in the middle of the fourth. With 3:33 left on the clock, junior forward Lauren Carie (Vincennes, Indiana) hit a jumper to make the score 86-62 Missouri. The Tigers ended the game on a 10-0 run.
For the game, Southern Indiana was 25-for-66 for 38 percent from the field, connecting on seven threes. Shafford paced the Screaming Eagles with 16 points, while Raley also registered double figures with 11 points. Webb and Blackwell had nine and eight points, respectively.
Missouri shot 51 percent (34-67) overall and 50 percent (16-32) from deep. The Tigers outrebounded the Eagles 49-31. Missouri had four players in double digits, including two over the 20-point plateau.
With Monday's result, Southern Indiana moved to 3-1 on the season and Missouri moved to 4-1.