Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Women's Basketball hosts Creighton Saturday
01/07/2011 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2011
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Jan. 8
Time: 2:05 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 (2-12, 0-3 MVC)
Head Coach: Missy Tiber, Second Year (174-106 overall, 7-36 at SIU)
Creighton Bluejays (8-5, 2-0 MVC)
Head Coach: Jim Flanery, Ninth Year (160-109 overall and at Creighton)
SCOUTING CREIGHTON
Creighton (8-5, 2-0 MVC) remains one of two MVC teams undefeated in Valley play after an 81-55 win over Evansville Thursday night at Roberts Stadium. Senior guard Kelsey Woodard led four Bluejays in double figures with 17 points in addition to dishing out seven assists. Woodard's season average of 13.2 points per game leads the Bluejays while senior Sam Schuett averages 10.5 points and sophomore Karli Tritz averages 10.2 points. Schuett, a preseason all-MVC selection, leads the team with an average of 7.5 rebounds per game. The Bluejays were picked third in the MVC preseason poll.
SERIES WITH CREIGHTON
SIU trails Creighton 28-15 in the all-time series between the two teams, with the Bluejays having won the last five.
LATE SURGE LIFTS DRAKE PAST SIU
Drake used a key late-game run to top the Salukis 70-57 in what was a back-and-forth game until the last five minutes. The two teams saw 10 lead changes and five ties, including a 34-34 halftime stalemate before the Bulldogs finally broke away with an 8-0 run with under five to play. SIU had its lowest turnover total of the season with 12, but surrendered a 48-31 deficit on the boards. The Salukis shot 46.2 percent from the field in the first half, but dropped off to 29.4 percent after halftime. Brooke LeMar led a balanced Saluki scoring night with 10 points in addition to her five assists. Also for the Salukis, Teri Oliver had nine points while Renee Reed and Katrina Swingler both added eight.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Southern's current homestand marks team's first games at SIU Arena in three weeks as the Salukis previously played four straight games on the road. After taking on the Bluejays, 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 assists per game in the eight games since. Freshman point guard Brooke LeMar ranks third in the MVC with an average of 4.4 assists per game for the season, and ranks first in the Valley with an average of 6.0 assists per game in conference play. LeMar is on pace to enter the school record book for assists in a season if she maintains her average of through the remainder of the season. She has posted five or more dimes in six out of the last seven games, including a career-best seven at Wichita State.
SWINGLER NEARS MILESTONE
Senior Katrina Swingler will play in her 99th game as a Saluki against the Bluejays, standing just one away from the 100-game milestone. Swingler has already reached career milestones of 600 points and 300 rebounds thus far during her senior season. The Teutopolis, Ill., native is the only player on the Salukis' 2010-11 roster to play all four years in Carbondale. A fan favorite known for her blue-collar style of play, Swingler is averaging of 7.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
SHANNON NEARS BLOCK RECORD
SIU freshman center CiCi Shannon stands only five blocked shots away from breaking the single-season school record of 42. The Hazel Crest, Ill., native ranks second in the MVC with a season average of 2.8 blocks per game, and her average of 4.0 blocks in conference play leads the Valley. Shannon ranked 16th nationally in blocks per game through Jan. 5. Her 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.
