Women's Basketball visits Missouri Sunday
12/17/2005 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2005
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By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
Date: Sunday, Dec. 18
Tip Off: 6 p.m., CST
Site: Mizzou Arena (15,061)
The Series: Tied, 5-5
Head Coaches: SIU: Dana Eikenberg (7-27/2nd Year)
Mizzou: Cindy Stein (119-99/8th Year)
Rankings: Neither team is ranked
Audio Webcast:mutigers.com
Livestats:mutigers.com
Salukis Hit the Road for Four Straight
Southern Illinois begins a stretch of four-straight road games when it visits Big 12 Conference foe Missouri on Dec. 18. Following its matchup against the Tigers, SIU closes out non-league action at Saint Louis on Dec. 22. The Dawgs will then open Missouri Valley Conference play at Illinois State (Dec. 30) and Indiana State (Jan. 1).
Road Woes
SIU is 1-12 in its last 13 games on the road. The Salukis entered their 2005-06 season with a 10-game losing streak away from home, but ended that with a 94-77 win at Murray State on Nov. 22. SIU is currently 1-2 in away games this season.
Good Luck on Your Finals
SIU and Mizzou had the week off due to final exams. The Salukis defeated South Dakota State on Dec. 10, while the Tigers downed Nicholls State on Dec. 11 prior to this week's break.
Versus the Big 12
The Salukis have faced seven of the 12 schools in the Big 12 Conference. SIU is 8-11 all-time in those meetings after going 1-2 against Colorado, 0-1 against Kansas State, 5-5 against Mizzou, 0-1 against Nebraska, 1-1 against Oklahoma, 1-0 against Texas A&M and 0-1 against Texas Tech. The five Big 12 schools SIU has never played are Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas.
Eikenberg vs. the Big 12
Dana Eikenberg is 2-3 against Big 12 opponents in a little over five years as a Division I head coach. Sunday's matchup marks the first time SIU plays a Big 12 opponent under Eikenberg. Prior to taking over the Saluki helm, Eikenberg's UMKC teams went 2-3 against Big 12 schools, with both wins coming against Kansas (2002-03 and 2003-04). Eikenberg's Kangaroos also opened their 2001-02 season with a 67-48 loss to Missouri.
Back on Track
SIU ended a three-game losing streak when it used a 24-3 run to overcome a 10-point second half deficit and beat South Dakota State, 75-59, Saturday. The win marked SIU's fourth of the season, as the Dawgs surpassed their win total from the previous two years. SDSU had won three of its last four games and beat Wisconsin on the road prior to suffering its biggest loss of the season in Carbondale.
Moore Excels
Carlai Moore averaged 15.5 points, as SIU split a pair of games last week. A native of Kansas City, Kan., Moore scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Salukis to a 75-59 win over South Dakota State on Dec. 10. She shot 11-of-13 from the field, including a near-perfect 7-of-8 in the second half. Moore also dished out two assists en route to her third 20-plus point performance this year. Additionally, her 23-point effort came after she missed scoring in double figures for the only time this season at Tennessee Tech on Dec. 5.
Spark Plug
Freshman Jasmine Gibson has given SIU a huge lift off the bench this season. Gibson, who hails from Kansas City, Mo., recently scored double figures for the third time with 12 points against South Dakota State. In two games last week, Gibson scored 24 points on 9-of-14 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws. She also pulled down six rebounds and had one steal in 44 minutes off the pine. Gibson has led the Saluki bench to a 124-87 advantage over its opponents in the first seven games.
About the Tigers
Preseason Pick: Missouri was picked 10th in this year's Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll. The Tigers tied for ninth in the Big 12 a year ago with an overall 11-18, 4-12 mark. Scouting Report: Missouri has won six-straight games and is a perfect 4-0 at home this season. At 7-2 overall, the Tigers are led by senior guard LaToya Bond, who averages 16.4 points a game. Two others, including senior center Christelle N'Garsanet (12.7 ppg) and junior forward Carlynn Savant (10.0 ppg), also score double figures for the Tigers, who return all five starters from a year ago. Local Anna, Ill., native Kassie Drew is a sophomore for Missouri this season. She is averaging 4.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in eight games off the bench. Homestand: Sunday's game marks the fourth-straight Missouri plays at home. The Tigers, who have held their last three opponents to 55 points or less on their homecourt, beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 79-51, on Dec. 2, Murray State, 100-55, on Dec. 3 and Nicholls State, 88-34, on Dec. 11.
Good Start at Home
Saturday's win against South Dakota State marked SIU's third win at home this season, and as a result, matched the Salukis' total number of home wins in the last two years. SIU went a combined 3-20 at home over the 2003-04 (1-10) and 2004-05 (2-10) campaigns. The 3-1 start marks SIU's best since beginning the 2001-02 season 3-0 at home.
Nationally Ranked
SIU tied for 19th with its .757 free throw percentage in this week's NCAA Division I national statistics. Four of SIU's latest starting five, including Carlai Moore (.731), Jayme Sweere (.875), Erin Pauk (.792) and Katy Freeman (.818) are shooting 73 percent or better at the line this year.
Double Trouble
Four or more Salukis put up double figures in the scoring column in four of SIU's first seven games. SIU is 3-1 in games, where four or more Salukis score double-digits.
Doing the Dishes
Jayme Sweere dished out a career-high six assists against South Dakota State on Dec. 10. Sweere, who tops the Dawgs with 22 dishes on the year, became the first Saluki to have six or more in a game since Daphney Desamours had seven at Creighton on Mar. 3, 2005.
Up Next
SIU plays Saint Louis at the Savvis Center on Thursday, Dec. 22. Tip off is at 5 p.m.
