Women's Basketball to host Chicago State Monday
12/14/2007 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2007
www.siusalukis.com
Game Facts
Date: Monday, December 17
Tip Off: 7:05 p.m. CST
Site: Carbondale, Ill. - SIU Arena (9,386)
The Series: SIU leads 2-0
Head Coaches: SIU: Dana Eikenberg (74-132 overall, 36-58 at SIU)
CSU: Angela Jackson (46-75 overall and at CSU)
Radio: n/a
Video Webcast: www.dawgwatch.tv
Audio: www.siusalukis.com - Sean Patrick
Livestats: www.siusalukis.com
Dawg Bites
The Southern Illinois Basketball team is in its 48th year of existence... Head Coach Dana Eikenberg is in her fourth season with the team and holds a 36-58 (.383) record... Last season the Salukis finished with a 21-11 record and were 16-2 in MVC play, earning their first regular season conference title in 17 years... Southern returns seven letterwinners and three starters from the 2006-07 squad and welcomes six freshmen.
On the Schedule
Following a victory over Central Arkansas Dec. 8, the Salukis host Chicago State Dec. 17 at 7:05 p.m. before going on the road to Tennessee Tech Dec. 21, their final contest before the holiday break.
Scouting Chicago State
Chicago State returns three starters from a team that went 9-20 overall a year ago. This season, the Cougars are 4-4 under sixth-year head coach Angela Jackson (46-75 at CSU). CSU is led by Jasmin Dixon who averages 18.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.25 assists, all team-highs. Alyssa Waldon chips in 10.1 points, while Courtney Waldon adds 3.25 assists per contest for the Cougars.
Swingler Breaks Out
Saluki newcomer Katrina Swingler scored her first points of her collegiate career with a break-out game against Central Arkansas Saturday. The freshman forward recorded 13 points, adding five rebounds, an assist and three steals in 25 minutes for Southern. All were career-bests for Swingler. Coach Eikenberg has been impressed with Swingler's work in practice giving the freshman the start against the Sugar Bears. She shot 6-of-9 from the floor and recorded no turnovers in the win.
Sweere on pace for 1,000
Jayme Sweere is averaging 13.3 points this season, with 93 total through seven games. The senior has recorded over 360 points in each of her first two seasons as a Saluki, bringing her career total to 826, just 174 away from the 1,000-point mark. Sweere is currently ranked 24th all-time in scoring at SIU, also the 24th Saluki to hit 800 points in her career.
Five in double-digits
For the first time since last February, the Salukis put five players in double-digit scoring against Central Arkansas Saturday. Jayme Sweere and Jasmine Gibson pitched in 21 points each, while Katrina Swingler added a career-high 13 and Ellen Young and Erica Smith scored 11 apiece. The last time Southern put five players in double-digits was last season, Feb. 4 at Illinois State. Gibson and Sweere both scored in double-digits that game also.
Not so Young
Ellen Young may be a newcomer, just seven games into her first collegiate season, but she isn't playing like one. The freshman earned George Washington Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, shooting 46 percent (13-of-28) from the field and an outstanding 55 percent (6-of-11) from 3-point range. The freshman recorded a career-high 26 points and five rebounds Nov. 28 at Austin Peay.
Gibson the Game-Starter
In five of seven games this season, the exception against Western Kentucky and Austin Peay Jasmine Gibson has scored the first Saluki bucket of each contest. The junior forward is leading the team with 14.6 points per game this season, third on the team with 4.6 boards per contest. Gibson was held under 10 points just once this season at Illinois. She recorded a career-best 24 against Christian Brothers in the Salukis lone win this season.
Season Openers
The Salukis fell to No. 25 DePaul Nov. 10 in SIU Arena dropping their second straight season-opener. Last season Southern fell to Big 12 rival Missouri to open the most successful season in 15 years at SIU.
Gibson's Career Night
Saluki forward Jasmine Gibson posted a career-high 24 points, adding five rebounds and three steals in SIU's victory over Christian Brothers Monday, Nov. 12. The junior shot 10-of-14 from the field, and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Board Patrol
Saluki guard Erica Smith, considered the top-rebounding guard in The Valley a year ago continues to stay big on the boards. The junior guard averages a team-high 5.4 boards per game after seven games this season, ranking 14th in the league. Smith also averages a 10.9 points per contest, shooting a team-high 52 percent from the field, fourth in the league.
Freshmen Guards Shine In Exhibition
Tanaeya Worden and Ellen Young shined in exhibition play for the Salukis. Worden averaged 14.5 points adding five assists and five steals, while Young averaged 12.5 points and 5.0 boards per contest, while adding eight assists and five steals.
Worden Newcomer of the Week
Southern Illinois freshman Tanaeya Worden was named MVC Newcomer of the Week after her first week of regular season play. She came off the bench for the Salukis in their opener against #25 DePaul to record 17 points, two steals and a rebound, despite playing with a cast on her arm. The newcomer shot 43 percent from the field in her first regular season showing, and 44 percent from three-point range. She averaged more than a point a minute in the game.
Exhibition Offense
The Saluki offense averaged 64.0 points per games last season to rank eighth in the MVC. In Southern's two exhibition games this season, the Salukis have averaged 95.5 points per contest signaling a rise in offensive output from the 2007-08 squad.
Dawgs Dominate Exhibition Play
The Salukis held Harris-Stowe scoreless for the final 10 minutes and 29 seconds of the game as they cruised to a 104-31 win over the Hornets Nov. 1. It was the first time since Eikenberg has taken over as head coach that Southern has reached the century mark in a game, regular season or exhibition. Jasmine Gibson led the Salukis with 28 points, six rebounds. Nov. 4, SIU beat the NAIA Division I defending national champion Lambuth (Tenn.). Jayme Sweere came off the bench to score 21 points, adding five steals, three assists and four rebounds.
Salukis Ink two for 2008-09
Southern Illinois women's basketball head coach Dana Eikenberg and her staff sign two recruits from the state of Illinois for next season. Olivia Lett and Eryn Stepherson signed letters of intent to play for the Dawgs in 2008-09 Wednesday. Lett, a 5-11 guard from Pana, Ill., averaged 20.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior. She led her team to a 22-9 record last season already recording 1,774 career points, the most for boys or girls at Pana. Stepherson, a 5-10 guard from Edwardsville, Ill., averaged 8.2 points and shot 81 percent from the free throw line last season. A member of the varsity team since her freshman year of high school, she earned third-team All-SWC honors as a junior. She was also named to BlueStar Basketball's Top 250 2008 Graduates List.
Salukis picked fifth in preseason poll
The defending regular season Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball team, the Southern Illinois Salukis, were picked fifth in the 2007-08 Preseason Poll selected by coaches, media and sports information directors the league announced Tuesday at its annual basketball media day. For the second-straight year, Drake has been tabbed the No. 1 team in The Valley with 348 points in the poll and 24 first-place votes.
Eikenberg turns it around
In just three years, Saluki head coach Dana Eikenberg has done her best to turn the program around, starting 3-24 her first season, (10th of 10 teams in the MVC) to 10-18 (8th of 10 teams in the league) the following season. In 2006-07 SIU garnered a Missouri Valley Conference Championship and reached postseason play for the first time since 1992. The Salukis posted the 10th-best turnaround in the nation in 2006-07 under Eikenberg and continue to work toward improvement.
Senior Sweere
Saluki guard Jayme Sweere stepped up last season to lead the Salukis in steals (56) and blocks (24), second on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) and assists (79). She produced a season-high 23 points twice to help pull the Salukis past Weber State on the road Dec. 2 and push Southern past Stephen F. Austin in the opening round of the WNIT. In league play the junior averaged 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, tallying 44 assists and 31 steals to earn second-team honors. She was top-15 in the league in scoring (14th), steals (5th) and blocks (8th).
