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Despite strong offensive performances by senior guard Jayme Sweere and junior guard Erica Smith, the SIU women's basketball team couldn't keep up with Northern Iowa.

The Salukis were defeated 64-52 Thursday night and were never able to contain the Panthers freshmen tandem of center Lizzie Boeck and guard Jacqui Kalin.

SIU dropped its second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference game on the road as the freshmen duo was seemingly able to do whatever it wanted offensively and combined for 39 points.

Saluki coach Dana Eikenberg said the pair played hard the entire game and got what they wanted.

"When you have two foot, three foot shots, you don't miss those," Eikenberg said. "Most Division-1 players make those shots and we gave that to them."

Boeck shot 8-of-12 for 18 points and also pulled down eight rebounds. Kalin shot 3-of-4 from the 3-point line and 8-of-14 from the field.

Kalin led her team with 21 points and kept the Panthers (7-12, 3-5 MVC) with the lead for the entire second half after leading 36-30 at halftime.

Smith got SIU within one point with a layup at the 15:37 mark but the Salukis (7-11, 3-5) would go on to miss their next nine shots from the field.

The backcourt duo of Sweere and Smith were the only Salukis able to get anything going offensively. Nobody else on the team scored in double figures as the SIU finished shooting 30 percent.

Sweere struggled in the first half but then scored 17 of her 21 points in the second half. She also added nine rebounds and a pair of steals and reached the 1000 point career milestone in the second half.

Smith led SIU at the break with 11 points and four rebounds. She was stifled in the second half offensively and finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds on 5-of-15 shooting.

Eikenberg said the team isn't getting a consistent 40 minutes from anyone.

"We're lacking accountability," she said. "It was about who wanted it more tonight and they wanted it more."

The Salukis will look to rebound as they travel to Peoria Saturday to take on Bradley. The Braves (7-12, 1-7) have lost four games in a row and were crushed by Evansville 71-50 Thursday night.

"We're not playing well right now and we have two choices the rest of the season," Eikenberg said. "We can throw it in or try a little bit harder and hang on until everyone is back and healthy."

While SIU may be all but eliminated from the MVC regular season championship, it can still put itself into a better position when the seeds are handed out for the MVC tournament in St. Charles, Mo.

The Salukis are currently tied for sixth place with Indiana State and would need to break that tie to avoid playing in the opening round March 13.

Matt Hartwig can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 282 or at mhartwig@siu.edu

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