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Salukis slay SLU

The SIU women's basketball team demolished Saint Louis 69-53 for the Salukis' first win of the season, and only 195 souls witnessed it from the stands of the SIU Arena.

The victory snapped the Salukis' 14-game losing streak dating back to Jan. 31 of 2004.

SIU head coach Dana Eikenberg gave all the credit to the Saluki players, particularly Amy Hayden and India Bruster, who she called the all-stars of the game.

"They've been working hard," Eikenberg said. "We push them hard, and they can use this as a springboard."

SIU jumped on Saint Louis early, and Eikenberg said they figured the Billikens wouldn't be able to overcome a sizeable deficit.

Eikenberg was right. Although senior guards Danette Jones and Daphney Desamours were limited to only 10 points in the first half, Hayden more than picked up the slack.

The usually quiet junior shot 5-of-6 from the field with a three-pointer to score 11 points in the first half. The aggression seen from Hayden was something Eikenberg and Hayden's teammates have been asking her to demonstrate.

"The past few games they've really been hounding me," Hayden said.

Hayden's explosive first half helped propel the Salukis to a 38-26 lead at the half.

The Billikens' happy feet also helped SIU - six turnovers off travel calls gave the Salukis the chances they capitalized on.

In a welcome change of pace, SIU walked into its locker room with only eight turnovers and nine personal fouls. They also shot 14-of-30 from the field, notching a field goal percentage of 47.

The only major threat to the Salukis' dominance was freshman Mia Johnson. The guard was 4 for 10 with 12 points in the first half.

"She's a very talented kid," Eikenberg said. "We started to go through some screens instead of chasing her."

The Salukis came out forcefully in the second half, and Jones started to heat up. Less than two minutes into the half, Jones hit a three as the shot clock rang out, bringing the meager crowd to its feet.

A wide-open Desamours then hit a jumper at the 17-minute mark to give the Salukis a commanding 45-28 lead.

Senior Wendy Goodman came down hard on her ankle with a little over seven minutes left in the game. Goodman took a breather, but came back in less than a minute later.

But Goodman's punishment wasn't over. She took a smack in her right eye during a fracas under the boards, and it started swelling before she hit the bench.

"Her eye is probably the size of your fist right now," Eikenberg said. "She's my watch: she takes a licking and keeps on ticking."

Hayden tacked on another seven points in the second half, bringing her up to 18 for the game, and breaking her previous career-best of 14.

Bruster, an imposing freshman, denied the Billikens four times and also pilfered from them twice.

"She's just in the way," Eikenberg said. "She's a big kid. You can't shoot over her."

Although a full-court trap from the Billikens started to stifle SIU's offense in the second half - the Salukis dropped to 32 percent from the field - baskets still dropped and the gap continued to widen.

A jumper from Hayden with three minutes left sealed the deal at 67-47. Jones simply held onto the ball as the clock wound down, while the Saluki fans gave a standing ovation.

"We're excited about the win," Hayden said. "We didn't have a perfect game, but we did have a win."