Women's Basketball Travels to Undefeated DePaul
12/12/2003 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 12, 2003
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By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
LOSING STREAK HITS NINE
Since the end of the 2002-03 season, SIU has lost nine straight games, including its first five of this year. Dating back to Feb. 27, 2003 when the Salukis fell to Bradley, 68-83, SIU has gone 0-9. Prior to this season, the Salukis lost 11 consecutive games (Dec. 21-Feb. 2) in 2002-03 and a school record 15 straight contests (Dec. 19-Feb. 15) in 2001-02.
CONFERENCE CALL
DePaul marks one of four opponents from Conference USA that SIU faces this season. Following Sunday's matchup, the latter part of the Salukis' non-conference schedule will be dominated by Conference USA schools. SIU hosts Southern Mississippi (12/16) and visits Saint Louis (12/29) in two of their last three non-league contests. The Dawgs also played UAB (11/29) earlier in the year.
SALUKIS OPEN AT 0-5 FOR FIRST TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY
SIU's women's basketball team is 0-5 to open a season for the first time in school history. The closest the Salukis came to this year's start was in 1988-89 under former head coach Cindy Scott. That year, the Dawgs opened at 0-4 after suffering losses to Murray State (64-68), Purdue (60-69), Western Kentucky (59-80) and Indiana (44-58), before finishing at 19-10 overall.
INJURIES HOBBLE SALUKIS
SIU spent a long night in Cookeville, Tenn., last week. In addition to suffering a 88-72 loss to Tennessee Tech (12/3), the Salukis lost forwards Jodi Heiden and Bernettra Grayer to injury. Heiden, who will miss the next 10 weeks, went down with an ankle injury during a pre-game shoot around. Meanwhile, Grayer had to leave the game early due to a foot injury. She is expected to be sidelined for at least three weeks. Heiden averaged a team-best 8.3 points per game off the bench.
SERIES HISTORY
DePaul holds a 5-3 lead over SIU, as the overall series between the two teams dates back to 1979. Since 1984, however, the Blue Demons have posted four straight wins over the Salukis, including a 69-60 victory last season in Carbondale.
LAST TIME AROUND
DePaul and SIU opened their seasons against each other a year ago in Carbondale. The Blue Demons used a 9-0 run in the last 3:11 of the game to post a 69-60 come-from-behind win over the Salukis. SIU led by as many as 16 points (26-20) and held a 31-20 advantage at the half, before Jenni Dant scored seven of her game-high 18 points during DePaul's late run.
HEAD COACH Lori Opp
Lori Opp (Western Illinois, '88) is in her fourth year at the helm of the Southern Illinois University women's basketball program.Opp made her debut as head coach in 2000-01. Since then, she has compiled an overall record of 20-66, 9-45 MVC in a little over three years. With over 13 years of Division I coaching experience, Opp enters this season with the hopes of guiding the Dawgs to not only their first MVC Tournament appearance since 1999-00, but their first winning season since 1995-96 (18-10).
HEAD COACH DOUG BRUNO
Doug Bruno (DePaul, '73) holds a career record of 304-198 in his 18th season as head coach of the Blue Demons. DePaul's last 15 teams under Bruno have posted some of the following accomplishments: eight 20-win seasons; one of 38 schools to have played in seven NCAA Tournaments in the 1990s; one of 23 programs to reach postseason play in at least 11 of the last 14 seasons; a berth in the 2000, 2001 and 2002 WNIT, reaching the second round twice; one of two programs in the Great Midwest and Conference USA history to win consecutive conference tournament titles; and six trips to conference tournament championship games with four titles.
ABOUT THE SALUKIS
SIU enters Sunday's matchup coming off a much-needed 11-day break. The Salukis last played at Tennessee Tech on Dec. 3, where they suffered a 88-71 loss. Junior guard/forward Danette Jones leads all SIU scorers with 12.2 points this season. Jones registered double figures in four of the Salukis' first five games, including a career-high 17 points against TTU. She also leads the Dawgs with 10 three-pointers. Senior center Tiffany Crutcher follows with 10.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Crutcher has been on a roll as of late scoring 16 points vs. UAB and 13 against TTU in her previous two outings.
ABOUT THE BLUE DEMONS
So far this season, DePaul appears to have picked up where it left off a year ago. In 2002-03, Bruno's squad posted a 22-10 record and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1997. Five games into this season, the Blue Demons are a perfect 5-0 and received 50 votes in the most recent USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division I Top 25 Coaches' Poll. 2003 Conference USA Freshman of the Year Khara Smith (So., F) is scoring 20.0 points per game, as one of four Demons who average double figures on the year. Junior guard/forwards Charlene Smith (18.6) and Jenni Dant (17.6), along with senior guard Ashley Luke (10.0) round out DePaul's top five. The Blue Demons are also shooting a sizzling .466 from the field with cousins Khara (.513) and Charlene Smith (.521) paving the way with at least a .513 percentage.
SALUKIS LOOK TO SPOIL DEPAUL'S HOMECOURT WINNING STREAK
DePaul currently holds a 17-game homecourt winning streak. The Blue Demons, who went a perfect 14-0 at home last season, haven't lost a game on their home floor since March 2, 2002. In that game, DePaul fell to Tuland, 88-83.
JONES NABS CAREER HIGH
Junior Danette Jones registered her fourth double-digit outing in five games with a career-high 17 points at Tennessee Tech (12/3). The native of Salem, Ill., shot 6-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-7 from behind the three-point arc. She also hit 3-of-4 free throws, grabbed three rebounds and dished out three assists. Jones, who tops SIU in scoring with 12.2 points per game, has led all Saluki scorers in three games. Additionally, her latest effort surpassed her previous career-high of 16 points, which was done on four occasions, including two this season.
GOODMAN POSTS CAREER HIGH
Junior forward Wendy Goodman scored double figures for the first time in her SIU career at Tennessee Tech (12/3). Goodman came off the bench to shoot 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line en route to 12 points. Additionally, she grabbed a career-high nine rebounds, dished out one assist and had one steal in 27 minutes.
CRUTCHER AND PINKSTON SEEING DOUBLES
Seniors Tiffany Crutcher and Dana Pinkston scored double figures in each of SIU's last two games. Crutcher posted 13 points, while Pinkston added a season-high 12 in the Salukis' latest outing against Tennessee Tech (12/3). Prior to that, Crutcher scored a season-high 16 points, while Pinkston netted 10 versus UAB (11/29). Crutcher is the Dawgs' second-leading scorer with 10.0 points per game and Pinkston ranks fifth with 7.4.
FIELD DAY
After five games this season, SIU is out-shooting its opponents .459 to .434 from the field. Starters Danette Jones (.404; 21-of-52), Tiffany Crutcher (.553; 21-of-38) and Katie Berwanger (.588; 20-of-34) have accounted for over half the team's makes this season, as the Dawgs have hit 123-of-268 to their opponents 131-of-302 from the floor.
SIU SECOND IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
SIU currently ranks second among Missouri Valley Conference schools with a .459 (123-of-268) percentage. The Salukis ranks behind Southwest Missouri State (.506; 133-of-263), while Drake (.416; 106-of-255), Evansville (.412; 110-of-267) and Indiana State (.403; 116-of-288) round out the top-five, respectively.
HEFTY MIS-MATCH
Making just 47-of-75 at the line for a .627 percentage this season, the Salukis have been limited to an average of 15 free throw attempts per game. Meanwhile, SIU's foes are shooting 85-of-131 (.649) from the charity stripe, and have attempted at least 26.2 shots per contest.
THAT'S NOT ALL
Needless to say, free throws aren't the only thing hurting the Dawgs this season. By comparison, turnovers and fouls have been even more painful. Averaging 22.6 turnovers a game, SIU has committed a total of 113 to its opponents' 70 this year. As for fouls, the Salukis have been whistled for 121 to their opponents' 90. Additionally, SIU has had three players foul out, and is registering 24.2 hacks per game.
EARLY FOULS TROUBLING POST PLAY
In each of SIU's last three games, post players Tiffany Crutcher and Katie Berwanger picked up two fouls apiece early in the first half. Against Long Island (11/28), Crutcher and Berwanger each picked up two fouls in a span of 8:15. Against UAB (11/29), each committed two fouls in the first 5:11 of the game. And most recently against Tennessee Tech (12/3), both were whistled for two fouls in the game's opening 8:43. Due to the fouls, Crutcher has played an average of 19 minutes in each of the last three games, while Berwanger has been limited to 25.
ON THE WHOLE
SIU is being outscored by its opponents, 386-317. Averaging 63.4 points, the Salukis have lost every game this season by a margin of nine or more points. SIU has also lost seven of its last nine games by five or more points dating back to the 2002-03 season. Not to mention, the Dawgs have not outscored an opponent in a half of basketball since Feb. 22, 2003 when they edged Illinois State, 46-38, in the second stanza.