Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Goldstar in Exhibition Game Sunday
11/08/2003 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2003
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill.-- Saluki fans can get an early look at the Southern Illinois University women's basketball team Sunday when it hosts Goldstar in an exhibition game at SIU Arena. Tip off is set for 2 p.m.
Picked 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll for the third straight year, SIU will look to prove critics wrong in 2003-04. With three new coaches and eight newcomers, the Salukis are anxious to get things going.
"We have a lot we want to accomplish this season and our main focus is to get to the conference tournament," said head coach Lori Opp. "It's important that our new kids blend well with our returning players, so chemistry will definitely be huge."
SIU, who has a roster that goes 16 players deep for the first time in Opp's tenure, returns five seniors, four juniors and a sophomore. The nine returnees will join forces with six freshmen.
Spearheading this year's team are seniors Dana Pinkston and Katie Berwanger who look to resume their starting roles. A native of Junction, Ill., Pinkston finished as the Dawgs' second-leading scorer with nine points per game, while Berwanger, a fifth-year senior out of Lake Zurich, Ill., grabbed a team-leading 158 rebounds last season.
Sunday's matchup marks the first of two exhibition games for SIU this season. Goldstar, on the other hand, will play its fifth exhibition contest. The St. Louis based team lost to Drury (44-75), Southern Indiana (74-90) and Northwest Missouri State (72-87). It will also play Murray State (Nov. 8) prior to visiting Carbondale.
