Salukis host Marshall Saturday
12/07/2012 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2012
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois women's basketball team looks to build its first winning streak of the season Saturday as the Salukis welcome Marshall to SIU Arena.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Dec. 8
Time: 12:05 p.m. CST
Location: Carbondale, Ill.
Site: SIU Arena (8,339)
Radio: WVZA 105.1 FM
Play-by-play by Bryce Williams
Color commentary by Johnny Sole
Saluki All Access (live audio/video)
Saluki Women's Basketball Twitter
TEAM FACTS
Southern Illinois Salukis (1-6, 0-0 MVC)
Head Coach: Missy Tiber, Fourth Year (183-150 overall, 16-80 at SIU)
Marshall Thundering Herd (4-4, 0-0 Conference USA)
Head Coach: Matt Daniel, First Year (76-54 overall, 4-4 at Marshall)
SIU VS. MARSHALL
SIU is 1-0 all-time against Marshall with the lone meeting coming during the 1993-94 season. The Thundering Herd comes into the game 4-4 overall. Shay Weaver leads Marshall with an average of 12.1 points per game while Chukwaka Ezeigbo is second on the team at 8.5 points per game and leads the team with an average of 6.6 rebounds per game. Six other players on the Marshall roster average between 5.8 and 7.0 points per game.
LEADING THE SALUKIS
Cartaesha Macklin leads SIU in scoring through its first seven games with an average of 13.7 points per game while sophomore Rishonda Napier is second on the team at 9.3 points per game. Dyana Pierre leads the Salukis with an average of 10.3 rebounds and 2 blocks per game while Macklin and Napier both average 2.7 assists per game.
SALUKIS STUN SEMO FOR FIRST WIN
SIU came back from a four-point deficit in the final 17 seconds to defeat Southeast Missouri State 58-57 Wednesday for its first win of the season. Cartaesha Macklin hit the go-ahead free throw with 0.5 seconds left and intentionally missed her second attempt to run out the clock. Macklin's free throw capped off a thrilling late-game run in which Southern collected a steal, tied the game on a Rishonda Napier jumper, collected another steal and drew a foul in a span of about 12 seconds. Azia Washington led SIU with 14 points and nine rebounds in the effort while Napier scored 11, Jameeka Bouie scored 10 and Dyana Pierre added 12 rebounds.
PIERRE IN RARE AIR
Redshirt-freshman center Dyana Pierre has really come on strong for SIU in its last four games, averaging 10.8 points, 14.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game over that span, including a career day of 16 points and 19 rebounds November 29 against IPFW. Pierre's 19 boards against the Mastodons were tied for the 10th most in SIU history for a single game, and were the most by a Saluki since Stephany Neptune broke the school record with 28 against Murray State during the 2009-10 season. Pierre leads the MVC in blocks with 2.0 per game and ranks second in the Valley in rebounding at 10.3 per game for the season.
BOUIE CHIPPING IN
Freshman forward Jameeka Bouie has flashed signs of being a solid offensive contributor for the Salukis early in the season. Though she is tied for third on the team in scoring at 8 points per game, she is tied with Cartaesha Macklin for the team lead in double-figure scoring games with four. Bouie is also SIU's top finisher around the basket with a .537 field goal percentage that ranks third in the MVC.