Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Women's Basketball hosts Drake for MVC home opener
01/05/2011 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2011
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, Jan. 6
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
Game Central video/audio (subscription)
TEAM FACTS
Southern Illinois Salukis (2-11, 0-2 MVC)
Head Coach: Missy Tiber, Second Year (174-105 overall, 7-35 at SIU)
Drake Bulldogs (6-6, 0-1 MVC)
Head Coach: Amy Stephens, Eighth Year (321-148 overall, 124-105 at Drake)
SCOUTING DRAKE
The Bulldogs enter the week at 6-6 overall and 0-1 in the MVC after falling to Creighton 58-51 on New Year's Eve, despite having four players score in double figures. Senior Drake guard Kristin Turk leads the Valley in scoring with an average of 18.9 points per game followed by junior forward Rachael Hackbarth's 13.1 points per game. Hackbarth also averages a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per game while Turk leads the team with 46 total assists. The Bulldogs were picked seventh in the MVC preseason poll. Drake is 2-2 overall in road games through last week.
SERIES WITH DRAKE
SIU trails the Bulldogs 45-24 in the all-time series between the two teams. The Salukis split with Drake last season. Southern's biggest win last season was an 80-60 win over the Bulldogs in Carbondale.
SALUKIS FALL IN FIRST MVC GAMES
SIU came out of its first MVC road trip with a pair of losses after falling 82-50 at Missouri State and 76-53 at Wichita State to open conference play. Teri Oliver led the Salukis in scoring in both games with efforts of 14 points and 16 points respectively. Southern struggled with turnovers in both games, combining for 49 on the trip.
HOME SWEET ARENA
Southern's game against Drake Thursday will be its first game at SIU Arena in three weeks as the Salukis have played four straight games on the road. After taking on the Bulldogs and Creighton at home, SIU will play its next three on the road. The Salukis have the tall task of playing five of their first seven Valley games on the road. Drake is the only other team with the same road-heavy start to MVC play.
DIMES ON THE RISE
Southern averaged 9.0 assists per game through its first six games, but has improved to 12.4 assists per game in the seven games since. Freshman point guard Brooke LeMar is on pace to enter the school record book for assists in a season if she maintains her average of 4.4 assists per game, having posted five or more dimes in five out of the last six games. She dished out a career-best seven in the Salukis' last outing against Wichita State.
SHANNON'S BLOCK PARTY
SIU freshman center CiCi Shannon's eight blocks in the Salukis' last two games moves her into a tie for third in program history with 35 blocks for the season. Shannon's average of 2.7 blocked shots per game ranks second in the MVC and 16th nationally through Jan. 5. 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.
FORMER SALUKI HONORED
Former Saluki guard Eileen (Richardson) Strickland was recently honored as one of 18 women named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's 2011 Silver Anniversary Team. Strickland played in 70 games at SIU between 1986-90, scoring 103 career points with 56 rebounds and 60 assists, and having gone to the NCAA tournament three out of her four years at Southern. Strickland was honored for her standout high school accomplishments at North Central High School in Indianapolis, where she averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game as a senior, earning All-State, All-Metro and All-County Honors in 1986.
