CARBONDALE, Ill. (Interstat) — Ill. Springfield defeated Southern Illinois 75-70 in a non-divisional women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Tuesday at SIU Arena. The visiting team built enough late separation to hold off the Salukis, who dropped to 0-1 this season. Attendance was 376. Southern Illinois, known as the Salukis, remained within striking distance throughout but could not close the gap in the final minutes. Ill. Springfield relied on timely perimeter shooting and free throws to protect its lead.

Ill. Springfield scored 22 points in the first quarter, 18 in the second, 21 in the third and 14 in the fourth. Southern Illinois scored 20 in the first, 18 in the second, 16 in the third and 16 in the fourth. The Salukis opened with an early burst and led before Ill. Springfield answered. The game remained tight through the middle quarters, with both teams trading baskets and free throws. Ill. Springfield’s third-quarter surge gave it separation, and its fourth-quarter execution protected the advantage. Southern Illinois kept pressure on with drives and second-chance opportunities, but Ill. Springfield repeatedly found answers.

Kayla Cooper paced Southern Illinois with nine points, 11 rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes. Shakara McCline scored 13 points with three rebounds and an assist in 18 minutes. Braxcynn Baker added nine points, five rebounds, an assist and two blocks in 28 minutes. Kynnedi Davis scored 14 points with a rebound in 22 minutes. Haeli Tart contributed eight points and an assist in 13 minutes. Tkiyah Nelson had two points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in 30 minutes. Carmen Morales Romero added two points, five rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes. Yaiza Paredes Diaz chipped in five points, a rebound and a block in 16 minutes. Mia Gaines scored five points in eight minutes, and Raeven Boswell had one point and one rebound in four minutes.

Cooper opened the scoring with a floating jump shot in the paint, and McCline followed with a driving layup. Baker hit a 3-pointer off a turnover to push the Salukis ahead early. Ill. Springfield responded at the free-throw line and with layups from Alandyn Simmons, Kace Urlacher and Julia Sollberger. Rice made two free throws and later added another pair after a turnover, briefly moving Ill. Springfield ahead. Nelson answered with a driving layup for Southern Illinois. In the second quarter, Cooper scored on a driving layup, and Mingus hit a 3-pointer off a turnover for Ill. Springfield. McCline made back-to-back layups for the Salukis, while Baker converted a driving layup and a free throw. Rice made a 3-pointer and added free throws, and Mingus scored on a driving layup. Rice’s driving layup late in the half capped a back-and-forth opening period.

The third quarter brought more lead changes. Rice made a layup and a jump shot for Ill. Springfield, while Davis answered with driving layups for Southern Illinois. Cooper made a pull-up jump shot in the paint. Paula Strzelecki and Yeager scored layups for Ill. Springfield, and Allison Wheeler added a layup and a jump shot. Paredes Diaz made a layup and a free throw for the Salukis. Rice made free throws and a driving layup, and McCline scored a layup for Southern Illinois. Davis made two free throws and a driving layup, and McCline added a free throw. Rice’s late layup capped the quarter and set up the decisive fourth.

The final quarter featured the most important stretch. Rice hit a fast-break 3-pointer and then made a layup as Ill. Springfield extended its lead. Makenna Yeager added a layup in the paint. Cooper answered with a step-back jump shot for Southern Illinois, and Sollberger scored a layup for Ill. Springfield. Baker made two fast-break free throws to cut the deficit. Ill. Springfield’s Simmons made a layup, and Rice added a driving layup. Davis made a floating jump shot and a free throw for the Salukis, and McCline scored a layup. Mingus then hit a step-back 3-pointer that gave Ill. Springfield a seven-point cushion, and she added two free throws. Tart made a layup for Southern Illinois, but Knight made a free throw for Ill. Springfield. Davis and Gaines made late free throws, and Gaines added a layup, but Yeager made a free throw to help seal the result. Ill. Springfield’s late free-throw shooting and its ability to answer Salukis baskets were decisive.

Southern Illinois scored 70 points on 91 possessions, an offensive rating of 76.7. The Salukis had 10 offensive rebounds, 15 assists and six blocks, and they committed 23 turnovers. Cooper’s all-around line of nine points, 11 rebounds and six assists stood out, while McCline’s 13 points provided a scoring lift. Baker added two blocks, Morales Romero had two blocks, and Nelson pulled down six rebounds. Southern Illinois also got contributions from Tart off the bench and from Paredes Diaz and Gaines in the paint. Ill. Springfield’s defense and late free-throw shooting made the difference in a game that featured numerous lead changes and ties.

Southern Illinois will look to move forward with upcoming games against Indiana, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee-Martin, Western Kentucky, Fort Wayne, West Florida, Southeast Missouri State, SIU Edwardsville and Arkansas-Little Rock. No projection, game simulator, point spread, betting line or over-under information was available for this game.