SIU vs. Tennessee-Martin Game Notes
11/28/2001 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2001
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Salukis Continue Lengthy Road Trip . . . Southern Illinois continues its lengthy three-game road trip Thursday, Nov. 29 when the Salukis head to Martin, Tenn., to take on the University of Tennessee-Martin at 5:30 p.m. Following Thursday's matchup with the Skyhawks, the Dawgs will then close out their road stretch at Tennessee Tech on Sunday, Dec. 2 (2 p.m.).
Series History . . . Southern Illinois holds a 6-5 lead over Tennessee-Martin as the overall series dates back to 1973. The Salukis defeated the Skyhawks by a score of 74-67 in last year's matchup marking SIU's second straight win over UTM. In addition, the win also marked the Salukis' sixth in their last seven games against the Skyhawks.
SIU Versus the Ohio Valley Conference . . . Thursday's game at Tennessee-Martin marks the second of five straight games the Salukis will play against Ohio Valley Conference opponents. And heading into its duel with the Skyhawks this week, SIU has the odds in its favor as the Salukis are an impressive 101-26 all-time against OVC schools. With its most recent win being last season against Tennessee-Martin (74-67, Dec. 19) Southern Illinois is 34-6 against Eastern Illinois, 2-0 against Eastern Kentucky, 30-4 against Murray State, 23-3 against SEMO, 6-5 against Tennessee-Martin and 6-8 against Tennessee Tech. There are only two OVC opponents the Salukis have not faced, and they are Tennesse State, who SIU will play Dec. 8, and Morehead State.
Searching for First Road Win . . . Standing at 0-2 away from home on the young 2001-02 season, Southern Illinois will look to pick up its first road win Thursday at Tennessee-Martin. So far, the road hasn't been too kind to SIU where the Salukis are being outscored 169-117 and outrebounded 93-75.
Head Coach Lori Opp . . . Lori Opp (Western Illinois, '88) is in her second year at the helm of the Saluki women's basketball program standing at 8-22, 4-14 (MVC) overall. After serving as the team's interim head coach for the 2000-01 season, Opp's position was announced permanent on Thursday, Apr. 5. In Opp's debut as head coach, the Salukis finished 7-20 and 4-14 in the MVC. Despite losing six of its last eight games of the 2000-01 campaign, SIU made a solid run for the Valley's eighth preseason bid, but fell shy of the league tournament for the first time since the 1987-88 season. With over 12 years of Division I coaching experience, Opp is the sixth head coach in the program's 42-year history.
About the Salukis . . . Southern Illinois nearly overcame a 31-point deficit, but came up short as Southeast Missouri State won by a score of 81-70 Saturday. The loss dropped the Salukis to 1-2 on the season. SIU is led by senior guard Holly Teague who is averaging 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Teague is coming off a career-high 22 points which included 4-of-7 three-pointers against the Otahkians. She is joined by junior forward Molly McDowell who has posted back-to-back double figure scoring performances after missing the team's season opener due to a mild concussion. McDowell is averaging 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. Rounding out the leading trio is senior forward Geshla Woodard. Averaging 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, Woodard is also shooting 6-of-8 (.750) from the free throw line.
Scouting the Skyhawks . . . Under the direction of Co-Head Coaches Gary and Kim Van Atta, who are also husband and wife, Tennessee-Martin enters Thursday's game currently on a four-game losing streak after Tuesday's 86-67 loss to Evansville. Standing at 1-4 on the year, the Skyhawks are led by junior guard Amy Watson who is averaging 9.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. She is joined by senior guard Kelly Pendleton who follows with an average of 9.0 points and 2.8 boards. Interestingly enough, Tennessee-Martin doesn't have one player on this year's roster averaging double figures in points after the first five games.
Teague Posts Back-to-Back Career Games . . . After scoring a career-high 17 points against Saint Louis (11/19), Holly Teague set another career mark last week with a 22-point effort against Southeast Missouri. Teague knocked down a sizzling 9-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point land against the Otahkians. In addition, she dished out five assists and gathered three steals in 31 minutes of action.
Return of the Mc . . . Since returning to the Salukis' starting lineup after missing the team's season opener due to a mild concussion, junior Molly McDowell has registered back-to-back games scoring double figures. In SIU's home opener against Saint Louis (11/19), McDowell scored 11 points on 1-of-8 field goals and 9-of-10 free throws before turning around to pitch in 16 points on 5-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line against SEMO.
Better off the Bench? . . . After scoring just two points in her only start of the season at Nebraska (11/16), sophomore Jodi Heiden has been a force to reckon with since being pulled from the starting lineup. In the Salukis' last two games, Heiden has shot 7-of-17 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line, while averaging 10.5 points. In addition, she pulled down 16 rebounds in 31.4 minutes off the bench.
Phillips Struggles . . . Junior transfer Hillary Phillips may miss her first start of the season this week after shooting an ice cold 0-of-9 from the field in the Salukis' first three games. Phillips, who has only scored one point on the year, was limited to just 19 minutes last week after playing 31 in each of SIU's first two games.
Lawary Back At Full Strength . . . After missing the last five to six weeks due to pneumonia, junior forward Danielle Lawary has returned to full activity and will suit up for Thursday's game against Tennessee-Martin. Lawary averaged 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds last season.
Inside Game Looking Good . . . The inside tandem of senior Geshla Woodard and sophomore Jodi Heiden have been producing underneath the basket this season combining for 55 points and 36 rebounds. Averaging 10.7 points per game, Woodard is SIU's third leading scorer, while ranking second in rebounds with an average of 5.7. Meanwhile, Heiden is pitching in 7.7 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds.
Tale of Two Halves . . . In its first three games this season, SIU has not fared well in the first half where the Salukis trail their opponents 122-62. Despite scoring a mere 38 first half points in its two road games, Southern Illinois has managed to turn things around in the second half where it holds a 112-100 advantage over its opponents.
Sharp Shootin' . . . As a team, the Salukis are shooting 72 percent (56-of-78) from the free throw line three games into the 2001-02 campaign. Jodi Heiden currently stands atop the team shooting a perfect 1.00 on 8-of-8, while Molly McDowell (86%, 12-of-14) and Holly Teague (67&, 12-of-18) follow.
SIU Individual Rankings in the Valley . . . Scoring - 7. Holly Teague, 15.7 ppg, 10. Molly McDowell, 13.5 ppg, Rebounding - T13. Holly Teague, 6.3 rpg, Jodi Heiden, 6.3 rpg, Assists - T3. Holly Teague, 5.0 apg, Free Throw Pct. - T1. Jodi Heiden, 8-of-8, 1.00, Steals - 6. Holly Teague, 2.67 spg, 3-Point FG Pct. - 9. Molly McDowell, .429, Blocked Shots - 3. Hillary Phillips, 4, 1.33 avg.
SIU Team Rankings in the Valley . . . Scoring Offense - 10th, 58.0 ppg, Scoring Defense - 8th, 74.0 ppg, Scoring Margin - 10th, -16.0, Free Throw Percentage - 5th, .718 (56-of-78), Field Goal Percentages - 10th, .335 (53-of-158), Field Goal Percentage Defense - 3rd, .405 (79-of-195), 3-Point Field Goal Percentages - 6th, .300 (12-of-40), 3-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense - 5th, .303 (10-of-33), Rebounding Offense - T1st, 39.3 rpg, Rebounding Defense - 10th, 43.4 avg, Rebounding Margin - 9th, -4.0, Blocked Shots - 4th, 2.67 avg, Assists - 10th, 10 apg, Steals - 3rd, 10 spg, Turnover Margin - 10th, -8.33, Assist/Turnover Ration - 10th, 30/86, 0.35 ratio, Offensive Rebounds - 6th, 12.00 avg, Defensive Rebounds - 2nd, 27.33 avg, 3-Point Field Goals Made - 6th, 4.00 avg.
Salukis Sign Two . . . Southern Illinois University's women's basketball team announced Monday that it has signed Amy Hayden and local standout Afton Gill during this year's signing period. Hayden, a 5-10 guard from Ft. Wayne, Ind., joins the Salukis from Snider High School where she helped lead her team to a 23-3 record and a second place state finish in 4A as a junior. That year, Hayden averaged 10 points, three assists and three rebounds en route to Honorable Mention All-State and Second-Team All-Conference honors. Meanwhile, Gill is a local standout from nearby Carterville, Ill. A 6-0 forward, Gill brings a truckload of honors to the Maroon and White. While at Carterville High School, Gill was named News Gazette Honorable Mention All-State and was Black Diamond All-Conference Team Captain as a junior. In addition, she was a member of the USA Junior Nationals Team (Illinois), the All-South Team and the Prairie State Games-Southern Team.
Injury Report . . . Katie Berwanger - May miss the 2001-02 season due to an aggravated knee injury. Berwanger, who sat out the entire 2000-01 campaign after suffering a partial ACL tear in her left knee prior to the team's season opener at Illinois-Chicago (Nov. 18, 2000), re-aggravated her injury on Aug. 17 and will miss up to eight or nine months before returning to action,Angela Tolbert - Will miss this season due to undisclosed personal reasons, Head Coach Lori Opp - SIU women's basketball coach Lori Opp has been diagnosed with a rare liver disorder that has restricted her work schedule. Opp underwent testing at Carbondale Memorial Hospital on Oct. 14, after experiencing flu-like symptoms. On Oct. 19, she was then admitted to St. Louis Barnes Hospital for further testing. Doctors have determined that Opp has Sarcoidosis, which is a rare liver disorder that requires medication for one to two years. Since being released from the hospital on Oct. 25, Opp's time at practice has been limited, but she will continue to coach the Salukis throughout the 2001-02 season.
Salukis on the Radio . . . After a one-year absence, the SIU women's basketball team will return to the airwaves. Each of the Salukis' games during the 2001-02 season will be broadcasted live by Richard Blakely on 103.9 (WXAN) FM. In addition, all broadcasts can be heard via the internet as well by visiting www.wxan.net. However, Real Audio Player is required in order to listen.
Follow the Dawgs on the Web . . . Information regarding Southern Illinois University women's basketball can be accessed on the team's official website at www.siusalukis.com. Up-to-the-minute game notes, releases and statistics will be available each week.