SPRINGFIELD, Ill.— It took a gritty defensive effort in the second half, but the Drury Lady Panthers, ranked number one in NCAA-II, rallied to defeat Illinois Springfield 65-54 on the road Thursday night in Springfield, Ill.
Drury improved to 15-1, 5-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, and won their 11
th straight.
Illinois Springfield, who dropped to 7-3 and 2-2 in the league, hit eight of their first ten shots and led by as much as 15 points in the first half before going to the locker room with a 39-26 advantage at the intermission. Drury, meanwhile, shot just 26 percent in the first half making only 9 of 35 attempts.
The Lady Panthers then cranked up the defensive pressure in the third quarter but still couldn't draw even until the 6:14 mark of the fourth period when a lay-up by
Anna Hitt knotted the game at 48-48. The freshman from Ozark then put Drury in front on DU's next possession with a jumper in the lane that gave the Lady Panthers their first lead since the game's opening moments.
After allowing 39 points in the first half, the Lady Panthers surrendered only three made field goals in the second half holding the Prairie Stars to 3 for 27 from the floor as UIS scored just 15 points after halftime.
"I told our team that the first half was our fault as a coaching staff as we may have miscommunicated a lot of what we wanted to do defensively," said Drury head coach
Amy Eagan. "We found out really quickly that we have to pressure them. I'm just really proud of our kids. For a normal kid, if the shots aren't falling, it affects you. We just kept reminding them to keep fighting."
Kaylee DaMitz led the Lady Panthers with 23 points and the senior from Preston, Missouri, added five steals.
Alana Findley had a double-double with 15 points and 12 points. Hitt ended the game with nine points.
Malea Jackson had 16 points to lead Illinois Springfield.
The win was Drury's 39
th straight win on the road dating back to March 12, 2018, and is the longest road winning streak in NCAA-II women's basketball.
The Lady Panthers play again on Saturday, their fourth game in seven days, when they host Lewis at 1 pm in the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
#allweDUiswin
