Salukis travel to Murray State Saturday
11/30/2012 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2012
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois women's basketball team travels to Murray, Ky., Saturday to take on Murray State.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Dec. 1
Time: 7:05 p.m. CST
Location: Murray, Ky.
Site: CFSB Center (8,500)
Radio: WVZA 105.1 FM
Play-by-play by Bryce Williams
Color commentary by Johnny Sole
Saluki All Access (live audio)
Saluki Women's Basketball Twitter
TEAM FACTS
Southern Illinois Salukis (0-5, 0-0 MVC)
Head Coach: Missy Tiber, Fourth Year (182-149 overall, 15-79 at SIU)
Murray State Racers (4-3, 0-0 Ohio Valley)
Head Coach: Rob Cross, Fifth Year (62-68 overall and at MSU)
SIU VS. MURRAY STATE
Saturday's game will be the 40th meeting between the Salukis and the Racers. SIU holds a 35-4 advantage in the series, which began in 1969, and the Salukis have won the last 19 meetings. MSU's last win over SIU came during the opener of the 1988-89 season in Carbondale. The Racers enter the matchup with a 4-3 record, having won their last four after opening the season 0-3. Mariah Robinson leads MSU with an average of 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while Erica Burgess averages 12.9 points per game and Erika Sisk figures for 10.6 points per game.
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Salukis came back from a halftime deficit to handily defeat the Racers 74-57 last season in Carbondale. Southern trailed 37-30 at the break before out-scoring the Racers by 24 points in the second half. Cartaesha Macklin led SIU with 20 points while Alexus Patterson added eight points and 10 rebounds in the effort.
LEADING THE SALUKIS
Cartaesha Macklin leads SIU in scoring through its first five games with an average of 14.4 points per game while sophomore Rishonda Napier is second on the team at 9.2 points per game and Alexus Patterson is third with 9.0 per game. Dyana Pierre leads the Salukis in rebounding with 10.0 per game and Patterson figures for 6.3 boards per game. Macklin leads SIU with 15 assists while Patterson has a team-high seven steals and Pierre leads SIU with 13 blocks.
SALUKIS CAN'T STOP IPFW'S HYDE
Led by 43 points from Amanda Hyde, IPFW took a 78-65 win over the Salukis Thursday in Carbondale. Southern came back from a 23-point second-half deficit to draw within seven points, but the Mastodons held off the late charge. Dyana Pierre led SIU with career highs of 16 points and 19 rebounds while Azia Washington added 14 points for the Salukis. Hyde's 43 points tied the most ever by an SIU opponent (Jackie Stiles at Missouri State Feb. 9, 2001) and set an SIU Arena scoring record for women's basketball.
PIERRE IN RARE AIR
Freshman center Dyana Pierre had a dominating performance Thursday with her first career double-double of 16 points and 19 rebounds (both career highs). Her 19 rebounds tied the 10th highest single-game total in SIU history and were the most rebounds by a Saluki since Stephany Neptune broke the single-game record with 28 against Murray State during the 2009-10 season.
FREE THROW FACTS
SIU shot just 55.1 percent (21-for-38) from the free throw line in its first three games of the season, but has improved to 74.5 percent (35-for-47) in the last two games.