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Salukis get much-needed break from action

SIU off until Dec. 14 when it faces DePaul

The SIU women's basketball team's two-week break from games couldn't have come at a better time.

With recent injuries to post players Jodi Heiden and Bernettra Grayer, the Dawgs (0-5) need all the healing time they can get for their key bench players. Luckily for the Salukis, they don't play again until Dec. 14 at DePaul.

Heiden was averaging 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds before being injured prior to SIU's 88-71 loss Wednesday to Tennessee Tech. The senior forward's status will become more clear when she is reevaluated in a couple of weeks, but for now Heiden is relegated to the sideline with a dislocated ankle.

Grayer, an athletic freshman forward from Gary, Ind., has to wear a boot for the next couple of weeks on her foot that was injured in the first half of the Tech game.

The potential loss of both Heiden and Grayer down low sends a blow to the Dawgs' interior presence, especially with the amount of foul trouble they keep finding themselves in.

"Jodi has a very dimensional game; she can shoot from the outside and play on the block, so of course that's going to hurt us," senior forward Katie Berwanger said. "Grayer has been playing a big part too. We just have to stay out of foul trouble now because we don't have a choice."

All season SIU has been plagued early and often with foul trouble, many of which are coming in the post. Committing an average of 24.2 fouls per game compared to just 18 for their opponents, SIU head coach Lori Opp constantly has to turn to her bench.

On the post game radio show following the Tech game, a Golden Eaglette player commented on how extremely physical the Salukis are down low. This is an area the Dawgs take pride in; and since it is their strength, they likely won't soften up at all despite the foul troubles.

"I don't think we're playing dirty by any means; we're just playing hard basketball," Berwanger said. "I think in the women's games, refs just tend to call things when you are a little more physical than in the guys' games."

Instead of taking it easy on their opponents, the Salukis need to clean up their play mentally to stay out of foul trouble, as many of their fouls have come on moving screens and other things that are preventable.

With two weeks to practice before hitting a stretch that includes games against DePaul, Southern Mississippi, Northwestern and Saint Louis before beginning conference play Jan. 3 against Drake, the Salukis have plenty of time to right the ship.

"We've got some time off to have some hard practices without worrying about losing our legs for a game," Berwanger said, "and I think that's kind of what we need right now."

The Dawgs will also have the chance to continue to gel as a team. Opp doesn't think her squad has been playing together well, so the two weeks of practice should go a long way toward SIU continuing to improve.

A game at the SIU Arena is also a godsend for the Dawgs. With their first six contests on the road, the Salukis will finally be at home when they face Southern Mississippi Dec. 16.

"I forgot what the arena looked like, we've been gone for so long," Berwanger said.