Southern Illinois University
13-9 (6-4MVC)
Loyola
11-10 (7-3MVC)
Ramblers Top Salukis, 83-59
02/05/2016 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2
By: Will Becque
SIUSalukis.com
CHICAGO, Ill. - The Salukis kept pace with the Loyola Ramblers during the opening quarter and were in striking distance at the half, but costly turnovers coupled with cold shooting beset Southern's offensive attack as Loyola defeated Southern Illinois, 83-59, on Friday evening inside the Gentile Arena.
Southern struggled to get consistent offensive production from multiple Salukis, as only two players scored in double-figures. In contrast, three Ramblers scored in double-figures, with two scoring 20-plus points.
Redshirt senior guard Cartaesha Macklin led Southern Illinois (13-9, 6-4 MVC) in scoring for the eighth time this season, and reached double-figure scoring for the 15th time, collecting 14 points, five rebounds and three assists. Redshirt junior guard Rishonda Napier tallied 13 points, a block and a steal, while sophomore forward Celina VanHyfte finished the night with seven points and six boards in 19 minutes off the bench.
Loyola (11-10, 7-3 MVC) was led by junior guard Taylor Johnson, who scored a game-high 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Junior forward Taylor Manuel finished one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Dakota Vann added 10 points and five rebounds.
A fast-paced first quarter saw the two sides trade baskets, with the Salukis getting on the scoreboard first thanks to a turnaround jumper by senior forward Azia Washington. The Ramblers scored back-to-back baskets on layups, and Southern again knotted the score with jumper by Napier. Southern took its largest lead of the night on a three by Macklin that put SIU ahead 15-12 with 3:09 remaining in the first stanza, before Loyola answered with two-straight baskets.
The Salukis took their final lead of the game at 17-16 on layup by Macklin with 1:21 to play in the first, as the Ramblers answered by ripping off seven unanswered points to take a 23-17 lead with 9:52 to play in the second quarter. Southern got to within four (25-21) on a jumper by Napier with 7:46 to go in the quarter, but lost their all-time leading rebounder, Dyana Pierre, shortly thereafter, as she left the contest with nine rebounds in 13 minutes.
The Ramblers took full advantage of Pierre's absence, ripping off an 11-2 run over the next four minutes and took a 42-30 lead into the break at half.
Loyola opened the second half with a 12-3 spurt that effectively put the game out of reach.
"I felt like at the half we would come out a lot stronger than what we did," said SIU head coach Cindy Stein. "We worked on not standing around in practice, which is exactly what we did early. We stood around. Our shots weren't falling and we weren't getting stops."
The Ramblers scored 52 of their 83 points in the paint, and shot 50.8% (31-of-61) from the field. Southern shot 31.4% (22-of-70) and made just 6-of-29 (20.7%) from three.
All 11 active Salukis logged at least 10 minutes of play, with freshman forward Ashley Hummel recording a career-best 11 minutes and tying a career-high with four points.
"We had kids come in [off the bench] and play hard and do some good things," said Stein. "We just couldn't hit shots when we needed to."
The Salukis return to action on Sunday, Feb. 7 when they take on the Bradley Braves. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
