Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis back on the road at Austin Peay on Saturday
12/12/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
| Game Seven: Southern Illinois (4-2, 0-0 MVC) at Austin Peay (2-6, 0-0 OVC) | |
| Date | Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014 |
| Time | 1:00 p.m. CST |
| Location | Clarksville, Tenn. -- Winfield Dunn Center (7,257) |
| Video | OVC Digital Network (free) |
| Radio | WVZA 105.1 FM (12:40 airtime) |
| Audio Stream | Stretch Internet (free) |
| Notes | Southern Illinois | Austin Peay |
| Season Stats | Southern Illinois | Austin Peay |
| Live Stats | Statbroadcast |
| SIU Media Guide | Media Guide |
| Social Media | @SIU_WBasketball  | Facebook  |
By Tyler Wooten
SIUSalukis.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Saluki women's basketball is looking to shake off a loss to Illinois and improve to 5-2 for the first time in two decades this Saturday when it will travel to Austin Peay to take on the Lady Govs at 1 p.m.
TEAM FACTS
Southern Illinois Salukis (4-2, 0-0 MVC)
Head Coach: Cindy Stein • Second season • 291-233 career record (18th season) • 9-27 at SIU
Austin Peay Lady Governors (2-6, 0-0 OVC)
Head Coach: Carrie Daniels • Ninth season • 90-163 career record (ninth season) • 90-163 at APSU
ON THE AIR
Radio: WVZA 105.1 FM (12:40 airtime)
TV: None
Video Stream: OVC Digital Network (free)
Audio Stream: Stretch Internet (free)
Play-by-Play: Bryce Williams (third season)
NOTES
SERIES HISTORY
This series is a relatively new one in the lore of Saluki women's basketball, with the first contest occurring in 2006. Through five meetings, Austin Peay holds a 3-2 advantage over the Salukis, but three of the five have been decided by six points or less.
SCOUTING THE LADY GOVS
Austin Peay stands at 2-6 on the season, and share two similar opponents to the Salukis: Wright State (L, 85-73) and Memphis (L, 65-60). That said, the Lady Govs are averaging 72.5 points per game on the backs of skilled scorers Tiasha Gray (19.6 PPG), Kristen Stainback (12.9 PPG) and Tearra Banks (15.2 PPG). Gray has been a machine for APSU so far, shooting the ball 45 more times than anyone else on her team and dishing out 52 assists (6.5/game) and nabbing 32 steals (4.0/game) in the process.
LAST TIME • APSU 71, SIU 69
APSU's Tiasha Gray hit a pull up jumper with 1.5 second left to sink SIU 71-69, just after the Salukis had fought back to tie the game. On the previous possession, leading scorer Cartaesha Macklin (20 points, four rebounds, four assists) had missed a three-point shot for the lead, but was able to haul in her own rebound and maneuver for a layup to tie the game at 69-69 with 35 seconds left. APSU got off to a hot start with a 9-0 run, until Southern started an 11-0 run of their own at 16:59 in the first half. From that point forward, no lead was larger than five points.
SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE
Through six games of non-conference action this season, SIU is 4-2. However, in the past Southern has not had the best luck against its non-conference schedule, making this team an impressive anomaly. At 4-2, SIU has the most non-conference wins in a season since 2008-09 (4-4). Not one of the previous 14 seasons since the turn of the century has SIU finished the non-conference season above .500 -- a span that saw a 41-92 record against teams outside the MVC.
VALLEY RANKINGS
Through six games this season the Salukis are in the top-three of several team categories, including: field goal percentage (first, .428), rebounding offense (first, 41.5/game), rebounding margin (first, +2.5), offensive rebounds (first, 14.8/game), scoring offense (second, 67.7 PPG), three-point defense (second, .279), blocked shots (second, 5.5/game), three-point field goal percentage (third, .310), rebounding defense (third, 39.0/game) and defensive rebounds (third, 26.7/game).
Individually, several Salukis also sit atop some Valley categories. Dyana Pierre ranks first in rebounding (10.8/game), second in both offensive (4.0/game) and defensive (6.8/game) rebounds and third in field goal percentage (.537). SIU's leading scorer Rishonda Napier ranks third in scoring at 18.3 points per game and second in free throw percentage (.905), only missing two of her 21 attempts this year. And freshman Kylie Giebelhausen ranks first in blocks by a whole block per game at 2.5/game. In her four starts she has had at least two blocks and had five in consecutive games against Memphis and SEMO.
OH MY, SHE'S ON FIRE!
Redshirt sophomore Rishonda Napier missed most of the 2013-14 season, but it hasn't been noticeable through six games this season. Napier has led SIU in scoring in four of its five games so far and has yet to score fewer than 14 points. At 18.3 points per game, she leads all Salukis and ranks third in the conference behind Drake's Lizzy Wendell (21.4 PPG) and Evansville's Sara Dickey (19.6). She's also been invaluable in directing the offense. Her 3.0 assists per game rank fifth in the Valley, and her assist/turnover ratio ranks fifth at 1.0.
NAPIER NEARING MILESTONE
Napier's scoring has also rushed her along to a career milestone. At 485 career points right now (110 of which have been scored this year), Napier is only 15 points away from breaking the 500-point threshold. When she does pass 500, she will become the 52nd Saluki to do so in SIU history.
DYANA DOMINATES DOWN LOW
SIU's stellar guard play through much of its season has allowed Southern's most dominant player, Preseason All-MVC center Dyana Pierre, to wreak havoc on the inside. Even after a 7-and-7 outing against the Illini, Pierre is still averaging a double-double on the season at 13.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. She has recorded three double-doubles in six games so far this year, pushing her career total to 24 -- one double-double off cracking the top-10 all-time in Valley history. She's also shooting a highly-efficient 53.7 percent from the field on 36-of-67 shooting.
NO COUNTRY FOR THREE-POINTERS
Thus far this season the Salukis have done a superb job keeping their opponents off the three-point line. Minus its two losses, SIU is holding opponents to 14-of-52 (.269) in its four wins. If you take out an 8-of-20 performance from UT Martin (that came mostly in the first half), Southern is holding opponents to 6-of-32 from beyond the arc in its last three wins over Thanksgiving break over Memphis (3-16), SEMO (2-11) and Mercer (1-5).
SHARING THE WEALTH
Sharing is caring when it comes to SIU's success so far this season. Southern is a perfect 3-0 this year when it has at least three scorers in double figures, with a season-high five double-digit scorers coming against UT Martin in the season opener. Additionally, Southern's ball movement and offensive scheme have helped facilitate the wide range of scorers. SIU has had at least 17 assists in three of its six games, yielding an average of 12.2 per game.
GETTING TO THE LINE
For much of SIU's season, the difference between victory and defeat has come from the charity stripe. In three of Southern's four wins, the Salukis have made no fewer than 11 free throws and attempted no fewer than 15. The lone exception was a defensive manhandling of Mercer, where SIU only needed to get to the line eight times (4-8). However, in both losses this season SIU is a combined 8-of-16 from the line, including a 3-of-4 mark at Wright State (L, 70-50).
DYNAMIC DUO
Along with Napier, the return of redshirt junior guard Cartaesha Macklin has worked wonders for the Salukis. Combined, Napier and Macklin are scoring 26.2 points, grabbing 8.3 rebounds, dishing out 5.5 assists and recording 3.0 steals per game. Where the duo have been most noticeable have been on the assist front, helping Southern to at least 17 assists in three of its six games. For reference, last season without them SIU only had two such games.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Freshman Kylie Giebelhausen wasted no time establishing herself as a central figure of SIU's lineup. She earned her first-career start against Memphis on Nov. 26 and hasn't disappointed. Giebelhausen has provided a spark on both sides of the ball, averaging 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 2.5 blocks per game. Giebelhausen's 2.5 blocks per game ranks first in the Valley by a whole block per game and has four more blocks than any individual in the conference.
NEW TERRITORY
Junior forward Azia Washington advanced her game beyond the three-point arc this season. Entering 2014-15, Washington only had two 3-point field goals in two seasons with the Salukis. In six games this year, though, Washington has nailed 7-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc, giving Southern yet another deep threat. Right now, Washington leads all Valley scorers in three-point field goal percentage (.583).
SECOND CHANCE
The Salukis lead the Valley in rebounding margin at +2.5, and that is thanks largely to their work on the offensive end. Southern ranks first in the conference in offensive rebounds (14.8 per game) and has two of the top-five offensive rebounders in the Valley in Dyana Pierre (second, 4.0 per game) and Cartaesha Macklin (fifth, 3.3 per game). Macklin's work on the offensive glass has been particularly impressive; of her 31 rebounds, 20 are offensive.
MACKLIN CLIMBING UP THE RANKS
Even after sitting out for most of last season, redshirt junior Cartaesha Macklin returns as SIU's highest active scorer with 1,078 points through six games this year. Macklin currently sits in 21st place all-time in school history, just 15 behind Kelly Firth in 20th place (1,093). Even taking her lowest season scoring total of 465, Macklin would be on pace to finish 2014-15 with 1,496 points -- which would place her fourth all-time with her senior season yet to come. Her career scoring average of 14.8 would finish ranked third all-time in Saluki history if she were to maintain that over the next two seasons.
SALUKIS WIN THREE STRAIGHT
In their first home games of the season, the Salukis took care of business with three-straight home wins over Thanksgiving break against Memphis (82-75), Southeast Missouri (78-62) and Mercer (67-52). Helping the Salukis to their first three-game streak in six seasons was a .467 clip from the field on 92-of-197 shooting -- including a 34 percent mark from three at 17-of-50. The Saluki defense was vital as well, holding opponents to .378 from the field and .188 from beyond the arc. The Salukis finished on the plus side of the assist/turnover ratio with 14.3 assists per game, as well as 7.7 blocks per game -- with 12 of SIU's 23 blocks coming solely from freshman Kylie Giebelhausen.
STREAKING SALUKIS
The Salukis made history left and right en route to their first 4-1 start since 1991-92. Here are some early-season milestones for the Salukis:
• First season-opening win since 2008.
• First season-opening victory on the road since 2000.
• SIU's 87 points against UT Martin was the most scored in any regulation game since Nov. 22, 2011 (at Tennessee State, 89).
• First home opener victory since 2008.
• First time SIU was 2-1 since 2008, 3-1 since 2005-06, 4-1 since 1991-92.
• First time SIU has won consecutive games since 2012-13.
• First time SIU has won consecutive games at home since 2008-09.
• SIU's 16-point victory over Southeast Missouri was the largest since Southern beat Evansville by 26 on Feb. 26, 2012 (72-46).
• First time SIU has won three-straight games since 2007-08.
• First time SIU has won three-straight home games since 2008-09.
• SIU's win over SEMO, combined with its 15-point win over Mercer, are the first consecutive 15-point victories since 2007-08.
SIU RANKED NO. 32 IN FIRST RPI
In the initial official NCAA RPI rankings released on Dec. 2, Southern Illinois was ranked as the highest MVC school at No. 32 after its 4-1 start with significant wins over UT Martin, Memphis and Mercer. In total, three Valley schools were ranked in the top-55 in the initial poll, with Wichita State at No. 46 and Indiana State at No. 52. Since, SIU has fallen to No. 87.
SALUKI RADIO NETWORK
The flagship station for Saluki women's basketball is WVZA 105.1 FM, although 10 regular season games will be broadcast on WHET 97.7 FM due to conflicts with SIU men's basketball broadcasts. Bryce Williams is in his third season as the full-time radio broadcaster for Saluki women's basketball. All audio from Saluki basketball games are also available for free through Stretch Internet on SIUSalukis.com.
FOLLOW US
The official Twitter of Saluki women's basketball is @SIU_WBasketball. This account features team news as well as live in-game updates. Fans can also follow Saluki Athletics @SIUSalukis for news on all SIU sports.
SALUKI ALL-ACCESS
Video coverage for every home Saluki women's basketball game is available online though Saluki All-Access at www.SIUSalukis.com/allaccess. Saluki All-Access also has on-demand content for all 18 Saluki sports. Beginning with SIU's Nov. 14 matchup with UT-Martin, audio will be available for free for both home and road games through Stretch Internet. Links can be found on the schedule page on SIUSalukis.com.
SALUKI NEWS ONLINE
SIUSalukis.com is the official website for SIU Athletics. It is the best source for up-to-date information on the Saluki women's basketball team. Rosters, box scores, cumulative statistics, pre-game notes and other materials are available on the site. You will need Adobe Acrobat to read PDF files.
