Women's Basketball hosts Saint Louis Thursday
12/01/2010 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2010
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, Dec. 2
Time: 7:05 p.m. CST
Location: Carbondale, Ill.
Site: SIU Arena (8,500)
Radio: 810 WDDD-AM
Play-by-play by Patrick Erickson
Color commentary by Johnny Sole
Game Notes
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Game Central video/audio (subscription)
TEAM FACTS
Southern Illinois Salukis (1-4)
Head Coach: Missy Tiber, Second Year (173-98 overall, 6-28 at SIU)
Saint Louis Billikens (3-4)
Head Coach: Shimmy Gray Miller, Sixth Year (56-98 overall and at SLU)
SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS
The Billikens (3-4) enter the matchup coming off a 62-55 loss at SIU Edwardsville Sunday. Saint Louis is led by senior forward Lauren Woods, who has averaged 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds through the Billikens' first seven games. SLU is in its sixth season under head coach Shimmy Gray-Miller.
SERIES WITH SAINT LOUIS
SIU leads the all-time series 12-6, although the Billikens won 71-45 last season in St. Louis. The Salukis last beat SLU 85-77 to open the 2008-09 season.
SALUKIS RUN TO FIRST WIN
Freshman Sidney Goins scored 22 points, leading five Salukis in double figures as Southern posted its first win of the season 76-64 over Austin Peay on Sunday. Southern jumped out to an early lead and pushed the advantage to as much as 18 points in the first half before settling on a 35-25 lead at halftime. Austin Peay pulled within one point in the second half at 45-44, but Southern responded with a 5-0 run and never led the Lady Govs back within four points. Senior Eboni Crayton scored a career-best 19 points while Katrina Swingler added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Rounding out the scoring for Southern, Charnise Mitchell had 12 points and Brooke LeMar chipped in 10.
SALUKIS TAKE OFFENSE
SIU's 76 points in the win over Austin Peay bettered the Salukis' season-best scoring output by 24 points. It was the most points the team has scored since scoring 78 last season in a Jan. 1 loss at Illinois State. The effort also helped Southern improve its season scoring average by 5.7 points per game, from 47.5 to 53.2 points per game.
FIVE ALIVE
SIU had five players score in double figures in the win over Austin Peay (Sidney Goins 22, Eboni Crayton 19, Katrina Swingler 13, Charnise Mitchell 12, Brooke LeMar 10). No other SIU player registered in the scoring column against the Lady Govs. The last time the Salukis had five players score in double figures was last season in a Jan. 1 loss at Illinois State.
DAWGS GET DEFENSIVE
Early in the season, the Salukis have been able to hang their hats on a tough defense that ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference through Saturday's games. The Salukis are holding opponents to an average of 57.0 points per game and a field goal percentage of 34.4 percent, both of which are the top marks in the Valley.
CRAYTON SOLID AT THE STRIPE
Senior Eboni Crayton ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference early in the season with a 91.7 percent free throw percentage. Crayton has made 11 of 12 thus far from the charity stripe, including a 9-for-10 performance in the Salukis' win over Austin Peay. The Guys, Tenn., native doesn't average enough made free throw per game to figure into the national rankings, but she would otherwise rank in the top 30 nationally.
SALUKIS ON THE BOARDS
SIU ranks third in the MVC in rebounding margin with a plus-four average against the opposition. The Salukis average of 13.8 offensive rebounds per game ranks second in the conference. Southern has out-rebounded three opponents by at least nine rebounds. Junior forward Charnise Mitchell is tied for ninth in the Valley with an average of 7.0 rebounds per game while Katrina Swingler ranks third with an average of 2.8 offensive rebounds per game.
FIRST WIN HISTORIC
The Salukis' 76-64 win over Austin Peay Nov. 28 marked the program's first win in the newly renovated SIU Arena. The Salukis are now 1-3 in the facility since the $29.9 million renovation. SIU women's basketball posted a175-132 record in the Arena prior to the upgrade, bringing the team's overall record in the facility to 176-135 (.566). SIU Arena has been the regular home of Saluki women's basketball since the 1987-88 season, although the team made sporadic appearances in the Arena prior to the permanent move.
SHANNON'S BLOCK PARTY
SIU freshman center CiCi Shannon ranks 24th nationally and first in the MVC with an average of 2.6 blocked shots per game. Only one freshman ranks ahead of Shannon in the national standings as Idaho's Ashley Walters ranks seventh with 3.3 blocks per game. The Hazel Crest, Ill., native's six blocks against Western Michigan Nov. 24 tied the second-highest single-game block total in school history while her five blocks Nov. 19 against Northern Illinois tied the fourth-highest mark. Krsitine Abramowski set the school record with seven blocks against Indiana State on Dec. 29, 1999.
DAWG BITES
The Southern Illinois Basketball team is in its 52nd year of existence. Head Coach Missy Tiber is in her second season with the team and holds a 173-98 (.638) career record in her 10th season as a head coach. Last season the Salukis finished with a 6-24 record and were 4-14 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Southern returns five letterwinners and two starters from the 2009-10 squad and welcomes three transfers and eight freshmen.