Salukis open home stand against Loyola on Friday
01/29/2015 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
| Game 19: Southern Illinois (9-9, 2-5 MVC) vs. Loyola (2-16, 0-7 MVC) | |
| Date | Friday, Jan. 30, 2015 |
| Time | 6:05 p.m. CST |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. -- SIU Arena (8,339) |
| Tickets | Tickets Home |
| Video | Saluki All-Access |
| Radio | WVZA 105.1 FM (5:45 airtime) |
| Audio Stream | Stretch Internet (free) |
| Notes | Southern Illinois | Loyola | Missouri Valley |
| Season Stats | Southern Illinois | Loyola | Missouri Valley |
| Live Stats | Gametracker | Valley Scoreboard |
| SIU Media Guide | Media Guide |
| Social Media | @SIU_WBasketball  | Facebook  |
By Tyler Wooten
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Saluki women's basketball team will open a four-game home stand against Loyola this Friday at SIU Arena.
TEAM FACTS
Southern Illinois Salukis (9-9, 2-5 MVC)
Head Coach: Cindy Stein • Second season • 296-240 career record (18th season) • 14-34 at SIU
Loyola Ramblers (2-16, 0-7 MVC)
Head Coach: Sheryl Swoopes • Second season • 13-37 career record (second season) • 13-37 at Loyola
ON THE AIR
Radio: WVZA 105.1 FM
Video Stream: Saluki All-Access
Audio Stream: Stretch Internet (free)
Play-by-Play: Bryce Williams (third season)
NOTES
SERIES HISTORY
The Salukis and Ramblers have only met six times since their first meeting in 1982, with the last four coming since 2011. Loyola currently enjoys a 4-2 advantage in the series, winning the last four after SIU won the first two contests in 1982 (75-60) and 1984 (85-59). Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference last season, Loyola is 2-0 against SIU after sweeping the series in 2013-14.
SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS
After going 11-21 in her first season as head coach, Sheryl Swoopes and the Ramblers have taken a step back in 2014-15, starting out 2-16 and 0-7 in the Valley. The Ramblers have been without one of their star players, Simone Law, since the third game of the season. But, teammates Taylor Manuel (14.5 PPG) and Taylor Johnson (11.8 PPG) have picked up the scoring slack for Loyola. However, Loyola is averaging 19.3 turnovers per game and have a season scoring margin of -20.2 -- which isn't helped by the fact that opponents are sinking 7.5 threes per game and shooting .391 from the field against them.
SIU AGAINST THE MISSOURI VALLEY
Overall, SIU is 283-315 all-time versus the Missouri Valley Conference (formerly the Gateway Conference from 1983-92), which includes a 16-21 mark in the conference tournament. The Salukis are 267-294 all-time in regular season conference play dating back to its first season in the Gateway in 1983, and are 129-252 since the change to the MVC in 1992. The Valley has retained eight schools from the Gateway days (SIU, Bradley, Drake, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa and Wichita State); Evansville joined the Valley in 1994, and Loyola most recently joined in 2013 to replace Creighton. Among active members of the Valley, SIU has an overall record of 274-314 and a conference mark of 239-271 dating back to 1983. In conference play (including the MVC Tournament), SIU has a winning record over three active teams: Bradley (42-24), Illinois State (35-34) and Wichita State (34-30); and a losing record with the remaining six schools: Drake (24-44), Evansville (19-25), Indiana State (32-33), Loyola (0-2), Missouri State (23-46) and Northern Iowa (30-33). Among the three inactive Gateway/MVC schools (Creighton, Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois), SIU was 46-36 -- which included a perfect 18-0 Gateway mark against WIU and a 15-4 Gateway record versus EIU.
STEIN CLOSING IN ON 300 WINS
At 296 career victories, SIU head coach Cindy Stein is closing in on her 300th career victory in 18 years as a head coach. She is also only one win away from her 200th victory as a head coach at the Division I level. Stein spent 12 years at Missouri where she won 185 games, and she has 14 in two seasons at SIU. Overall, Stein is 296-240 as a head coach, and as a Division I head coach she is 199-211.
SHOCKERS KEEP SALUKIS AT BAY, 80-61
Despite a hot shooting effort out of the Salukis, the top-ranked Shockers were able to ride an early flurry of scoring to an 80-61 victory over Southern Illinois on Jan. 25 at Koch Arena.
Southern (9-9, 2-5 MVC) got into an early hole after Wichita State (16-3, 7-0 MVC) started the game on a 10-0 run, an indent of momentum the Salukis weren't ever able to fully overcome. SIU had an exceptionally strong second half thanks to a 54.2 percentage from the field, and were able to cut Wichita's lead to six after a three-pointer from freshman Kylie Giebelhausen at 8:36. However, the difference in the game was a season-high 23 Saluki turnovers that were turned into 32 Shocker points.
"We definitely had our opportunities and I like how we fought," said SIU head coach Cindy Stein. "Things weren't really strong in the first half, a lot of undisciplined play. But, I felt like our kids rebounded from that. I liked the fight in us, but unfortunately we just didn't have enough of it."
SALUKIS HANGING WITHOUT NAPIER
Despite being without starting point guard Rishonda Napier (who suffered a dislocated shoulder against Indiana State on Jan. 16), the Salukis have been in the fight in three straight losses against Evansville (63-58), Missouri State (61-57) and Wichita State (81-60). Southern had a chance to tie the game with 13.9 seconds left against the Lady Bears, and were only down six points with under eight minutes to go against the nation's best defense in WSU. This is Southern's first three-game losing streak of the season.
GIEBELHAUSEN COMES ALIVE
Freshman Kylie Giebelhausen rebounded from a rough couple of weeks to explode offensively this past weekend against Missouri State and Wichita State. The East Peoria, Ill., native was Southern's top scorer of the weekend at 17.0 PPG, and set a new career-high in each game. Against Missouri State, Giebelhausen was SIU's offensive catalyst, scoring 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Just two days later she topped that with an 18-point performance against Wichita State on 4-of-7 three-point shooting.
PIERRE CAREER MILESTONES
Junior center Dyana Pierre has passed several career milestones this season and has several more on the horizon. Less than one month after passing 800 career points, Pierre passed the 900-point marker against Wichita State on Jan. 25 after scoring 21 points against the Shockers -- pushing her to 906 points to pass Carlai Moore (890) for 25th all-time. She has also jumped into the top-10 in rebounding, where she recently passed SIU great Connie Price-Smith (744) for 7th all-time with 749 career boards.
PIERRE JOINS 900-700 CLUB
Junior Dyana Pierre eclipsed 900 career points against Wichita State on Jan. 25, making her just the ninth Saluki all-time to join the 900-point, 700-rebound club. Pierre is also only 51 rebounds away from becoming just the sixth Saluki to ever break 900 points and 800 rebounds in a career.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR DYANA
Pierre recorded her 29th career double-double with a 12 point, 13 rebound performance at Missouri State on Jan. 23. At 29, Pierre is now only one shy of tying Wichita State's Antionette Wells for ninth all-time in MVC history. Pierre has had a double-double in eight of SIU's 17 games (SIU is 7-1 in that span) and currently averages a double-double on the season at 13.4 PPG and 10.5 rebounds per game (first in the MVC).
PIERRE WATCH
Junior center Dyana Pierre is having a career year for the Salukis and is already off to a staggering start through 18 games. Pierre has already jumped into the top-10 in rebounding (currently at 749) and the top-30 in scoring (currently at 906) in SIU history, and also ranks highly in several national categories. Pierre has the 23rd-best field goal percentage in the nation at .554, which ranks first in the MVC and has been helped greatly by a 14-of-14 performance against Murray State -- only the seventh-such performance in the history of the NCAA. She is also tied for 34th nationally in rebounding at 10.3 boards per game.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE BENCH
The recent injury to starting point guard Rishonda Napier has allowed the opportunity for more Salukis to enter the rotation -- most notably junior transfer Blair Stephenson, who has started each of the last three games for Southern. More playing time for the Saluki bench could prove beneficial down the line; the Salukis are a perfect 5-0 when its bench out-scores opponents, but 4-9 when it either ties or is out-scored by the other team.
ON A DIME
Junior Cartaesha Macklin has proved herself a masterful field general in the last few games. The Mayo, Fla., native put up 15 assists in two games this past weekend at Missouri State (eight) and Wichita State (seven). Macklin's 3.1 assists per game rank fifth in the Valley this season, and her 3.4 assists in MVC games ranks tied for fourth.
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 1,203 points through 18 games this year. Macklin currently sits in 11th place all-time in school history, recently taking 11th place from Teri Oliver (1,199). 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 14.0 would finish ranked fourth all-time in Saluki history if she were to maintain that over the next two seasons. Using her pace this season, Macklin is slated to finish the year with 271 points, which would give her 1,302 points rank her in sixth place above Connie Price and Molly McDowell.
HEAT OF THE MOMENT
Junior forward Azia Washington was hot before the injury to Rishonda Napier, but Washington has really turned it on as of late. Washington scored 16 points and hauled in eight boards in SIU's win over Indiana State, and recorded her sixth-career double-double against Evansville on 16 points and 16 rebounds -- an individual season-high for any Saluki this season. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native followed that up with an eight point, 10 rebound performance against Missouri State -- her third straight game in double-digit rebounds. Washington recently passed 600 career points and is now only five rebounds away from the 500 plateau. Once she passes 500 boards she will be one of two active Salukis to enter the 600-500 club; junior Dyana Pierre currently has 906 points and 749 rebounds in her Saluki career. Washington will be one of only 20 Salukis in SIU history to enter the 600-500 club.
SIU HAS FOUR ACTIVE WITH 600
On Jan. 9 and 11, two different Salukis -- redshirt sophomore Rishonda Napier and junior Azia Washington -- passed 600 points for their Saluki careers. Combined with Cartaesha Macklin (1,203) and Dyana Pierre (906), the Salukis now have four active student-athletes with at least 600 points in their career -- the first time that has happened on an SIU roster since 2007-08.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Salukis have been unstoppable on the glass this season, in which they hold the Missouri Valley's best rebounding margin at +3.8 -- the best by more than one rebounds per game. Southern has only lost the rebounding battle three times this season (all losses, to Wright State, Illinois and Wichita State), and has posted single-game margins of 10 or better in four games, three of them wins. SIU also has two top-20 rebounders in the MVC in Dyana Pierre (first, 10.3/game) and Azia Washington (sixth, 7.1/game).
The Salukis were uncharacteristically out-rebounded by the Shockers on Jan. 25 (the first time in more than one month and only the third time all season). Southern is 9-6 when winning or tying the battle on the boards, but 0-3 when the other team outworks them on the glass.
OPENING UP THE OFFENSE
The Saluki offense has really been clicking this year when Dyana Pierre is working down low. When Pierre has a double-double, SIU is 7-1 and the rest of the offense opens up as an after-effect. In five of those eight games, Southern has had at least three scorers in double-digits. In all eight games the Salukis are shooting .460 from the field and .362 from three, and they are dishing out 16.0 assists per game.
THE SALUKI FIVE
Unlike previous seasons, the Salukis entered Missouri Valley play with a strong starting five. Prior to the injury to Rishonda Napier, SIU's starting squad of Napier (point guard), redshirt junior Cartaesha Macklin (guard), freshman Kylie Giebelhausen (guard), junior Azia Washington (forward) and junior Dyana Pierre (center) were 8-5 this season -- starting their first game together at home against Memphis and going on to win five of their next six games. Combined, the crew was averaging 55.7 points, 28.2 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 2.9 blocks and 3.9 steals in 28.1 minutes per game. Together, they were shooting 327-of-733 (.446) from the field and 72-of-199 (.362) from three for 83.3 percent of all SIU scoring (836 of SIU's 1,003 points scored) as of Napier's last start.
DON'T STOP ME NOW
Rishonda Napier's 15 consecutive double-digit scoring efforts this year is the longest since teammate Cartaehsa Macklin went 15 in a row in 2011-12. After Macklin's 15, the next streak Napier would be looking to topple would be Petra Jackson's 17 straight to start 1984-85, and then Amy Rakers' 29 straight to start 1991-92 -- which extended to 58 straight double-digit games the next year.
CAN'T MISS
Napier has been laser-focused on the free throw line this season, where she holds an .857 percentage overall and a .913 mark in Valley play alone -- both the second-best in the conference.
PROTECT THE ROCK
Even though SIU is averaging 15.7 turnovers per game, Southern has also showed massive improvement from previous years. SIU only turned the ball over eight times against Murray State, the first single-digit turnover game since SIU turned over nine at Marshall on Nov. 27, 2013. Eight turnovers is also the fewest turnover output since Feb. 19, 2009, when the Salukis only had seven at home against Illinois State. Against Murray State and last season's contest at Marshall are the only single-digit games since that seven-turnover day against Illinois State. The Salukis are 4-4 this season when they have 15 or fewer turnovers.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Sharing is caring when it comes to SIU's success so far this season. Southern is 8-3 when it has at least three scorers in double figures, with a season-high five double-digit scorers against UT Martin in the season opener. SIU's only losses with three double-digit scorers came against No. 14 Oregon State on Dec. 19, at UNI on Jan. 9 and at Drake on Jan. 11. Additionally, Southern's ball movement and offensive scheme have helped facilitate the wide range of scorers; SIU has had at least 17 assists in five of 18 games.
OFFENSE EQUALS W'S
The adage is "defense wins championships," but through 18 games Southern showing up stronger on the offense end has meant a check-mark in the win column. The Salukis are 9-3 when scoring 60 or more points, but four of SIU's nine losses have come with scoring outputs 55 or lower. Additionally, Southern is also 9-2 when out-shooting opponents from the field.
DYNAMIC DUO
Along with Rishonda Napier, the return of redshirt junior guard Cartaesha Macklin has worked wonders for the Salukis in the backcourt. Before Napier's injury, they were scoring 27.1 points, grabbing 8.0 rebounds, dishing out 5.9 assists and recording 2.7 steals per game. Where the duo have been most noticeable have been on the assist front, helping Southern to at least 17 assists in five of its 18 games. For reference, last season SIU only had two such games without Napier and Macklin.
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 18 games this year, though, Washington has gone 17-of-42 (.405) from beyond the arc, giving Southern yet another deep threat.
HISTORIC NON-CONFERENCE SEASON
After finishing 5-25 a year ago, the Salukis went 7-4 in non-conference to start the year -- the best start for SIU since 1996-97. It has been an extraordinary year of firsts for head coach Cindy Stein in her second year at the helm at SIU, which now includes the best road start since 1991-92 (4-2), the best home start since 1996-97 (5-1) and the first non-conference season above .500 since 1994-95.
ATTENDANCE JUMPS UP
The 9-8 Salukis have seen a steady growth in attendance at SIU Arena this year. In six home games, SIU is averaging 949 visitors per game -- helped greatly by the Field Trip Day crowd of 1,655 against Murray State on Dec. 16 and the 1,975 fans that came to see Illinois' first trip to Carbondale since 1995 on Dec. 6. The Murray State crowd ranks 12th all-time in SIU history at the Arena for a women's game, and the Illinois game is the eighth-highest. For comparison, last season the Saluki women averaged 448 fans per game, a current increase of 212 percent.
HISTORIC START
Here is an impressive list of firsts and milestones achieved through 18 games this season:
• 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.
• First time 5-2 since 1991-92.
• First time 2-1 on the road since 2002-03.
• First time 6-2 since 1991-92.
• Best home start (4-1) since 1996-97.
• Best start through 10 games since 1996-97 (6-4)
• Best start through 11 games since 1996-97 (7-4)
• First time SIU finished non-conference above .500 since 1994-95.
• Best start through 12 games since 1994-95 (8-4)
• Best road start since 1991-92 (4-1)
• First consecutive MVC opener victories since 2006-07/07-08
• Best start through 13 games since 1994-95(8-5)
• Best road start through six games since 1991-92 (4-2)
• Most active players with 600 career points since 2007-08 (six).
• Best home start since 1996-97 (5-1).
• Broke 13-game slide against Illinois State
• Broke 12-game slide against Indiana State
• Broke 22-game road MVC losing streak
DRAMA IN 61-57 LOSS AT MISSOURI ST.
The Salukis had the ball and a chance to tie with 13.9 seconds remaining, but weren't able to convert and ended up falling in an exciting game against Missouri State, 61-57, at JQH Arena on Jan. 23.
The Salukis (9-8, 2-4 MVC) had just crawled back out of a hole on an 8-3 run to come within one with 18 seconds left after a Cartaesha Macklin three-pointer (58-57). But, after two Missouri State (7-10, 4-2 MVC) free throws from NiJay Gaines the Lady Bears regained a 60-57 lead with 13.9 left in the game. Southern drew up a play to get a shooter on the wing after penetrating inside, but junior transfer point guard Blair Stephenson was stripped by Kenzie Williams (11 points, eight rebounds) on her way into the lane with 2.0 left on the clock.
"We wanted to look to penetrate and kick back out, but we didn't get that look," said SIU head coach Cindy Stein. "We didn't have that opportunity, but that's not where the game was lost. We lost the game in the middle of the half. They went on a little roll and we had a hard time recovering."
The roll Coach Stein refers to was a 10-0 Lady Bear run from 7:54 to 5:29 in the second half, a quick but deadly Saluki scoring drought that gave MSU some momentum and just large enough of a lead to stave off the charging Salukis late in the contest.
The Saluki effort Friday night was all the more impressive once the absence of starting point guard Rishonda Napier is factored in. Napier missed her second straight game due to a dislocated shoulder suffered against Indiana State on Jan. 16, but several Salukis chipped in some solid performances that nearly led to an exciting SIU victory.
Freshman Kylie Giebelhausen was the offensive catalyst for the Salukis in the second half, scoring 12 of her career-high 16 points in the latter frame. Giebelhausen, who has made a name for herself from beyond the arc this season, showed some diversity in her game, driving to the lane more often than not. She was 7-of-15 from the field, and just 2-of-8 from three-point-land.
SIU GETS 65-53 WIN OVER SYCAMORES
The Salukis exploded offensively in the first half, but then showed some resilience to hang on for a 65-53 victory over Indiana State at SIU Arena on Friday night -- snapping a 12-game skid against the Sycamores.
The Salukis (9-6, 2-2 MVC) got out to a superb start against the Sycamores (12-4, 2-3 MVC), who owned the best overall record in the Missouri Valley entering Friday and also owns two impressive overtime wins over No. 25 St. John's (73-67, 2OT) and Indiana (65-61, OT). Indiana State didn't go down without a fight, though, and clawed their way back into the game on several occasions throughout. To which, the Salukis responded in resolute fashion.
"Indiana State is a fantastic team," said SIU head coach Cindy Stein. "I feel very fortunate to get the win today, but I felt like our kids fought and deserved it. We know when we go there it's going to be really, really tough."
MAKING HISTORY
The incredible year for Cindy Stein and the Salukis kept rolling on Jan. 16 with their 65-53 win over Indiana State. The win snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Sycamores that dated back to 2009, adding to a list of nasty streaks snapped that include a 22-game road MVC losing streak (snapped at Illinois State on Jan. 4) and a 13-game slide against the Redbirds.
SECOND CHANCE
Even at only 5-feet-6-inches, redshirt junior Cartaesha Macklin has proved formidable on the offensive glass this season. Macklin ranks fifth in the Missouri Valley with 41 offensive rebounds (2.6/game), comprising nearly 60 percent of her 72 total rebounds this season. Macklin had a superb day grabbing boards for second chances against Drake on Jan. 11, hauling in nine offensive rebounds of her 11 total boards -- six alone coming in the second half.
SIU OVERCOMES ILLINOIS STATE, 65-56
Down 13 after losing an 11-point lead, the Salukis stormed back on a 14-0 run to regain the lead and rode that momentum to a 65-56 victory over Illinois State at Redbird Arena on Jan. 4 to open Missouri Valley Conference play.
Rishonda Napier ended up with a new career high with 26 points on 6-of-17 shooting and an 11-of-13 mark from the charity stripe -- 16 of those points coming in the second half. Mercedes Griffin scored all 10 of her points in the second half, as did Dyana Pierre (eight points, eight rebounds) and Cartaesha Macklin (seven points). Azia Washington, who scored eight in the first half, finished with 14 points and six rebounds on 2-of-3 three-point shooting.
GRIFFIN PROVIDES A SPARK
Senior Mercedes Griffin came off the bench against Illinois State on Jan. 4 and proved to be the shot in the arm the stagnant Saluki offense needed. After a scoring drought of 11:16 in the first half, Griffin sparked a 14-0 run in the second half that helped regain the lead from the Redbirds that the Salukis never lost again. After a Dyana Pierre layup at 11:03, Griffin hit a jumper and converted a steal into a fast break layup to give the Salukis some momentum and force an ISU timeout with 9:34 left in the game with the Redbirds leading 43-36. Cartaesha Macklin, Azia Washington and Rishonda Napier all joined in on the fun with field goals coming out of the timeout, and then Griffin capped off the 14-0 run to take a 44-43 lead with another steal and fast break layup. Griffin's run sparked a stellar second half where SIU shot a blistering 62.5 percent from the field contrasted to ISU's 32.3 clip. The Salukis forced nine Redbird turnovers (which turned into 14 Saluki points) and shot 16-of-22 from the free throw line -- opposed to 2-of-4 from the first half. Southern also held the Redbirds to a scoring drought of their own of 6:03.
SIU HANGS WITH NO. 14 OREGON STATE
Despite Oregon State's size and athleticism, the Saluki women's basketball team found itself in the middle of a potential upset bid before the country's 14th-ranked Beavers pulled away for a 71-55 victory over SIU on Friday night at the Convocation Center.
The Salukis (6-3) were anything but evenly matched on paper with the perfect Beavers (9-0), but Southern proved it could hang with the big kids throughout much of the contest. Most of the game was a back-and-forth tug-of-war between SIU and OSU with 10 ties and eight lead changes. Southern eventually took a seven-point lead over the Beavers late in the first half during a bizarre flurry of technical fouls toward the Oregon State bench that resulted in the ejection of OSU head coach Scott Rueck. The second half started out looking like it was going to be a heavyweight fight down to the wire before a 13-0 run by the Beavers gave them the push they needed to victory.
BIZARRE TURN FOR CORRIGAN
Sophomore Carlie Corrigan came through for the Salukis against Oregon State in perhaps the strangest of ways. With OSU leading 23-22, a bizarre change of events nearly gave SIU a key momentum swing against the 14th-ranked Beavers. Cartaesha Macklin was originally called for an over-the-back foul on a rebound, but the call was reversed to that of Oregon State's Ali Gibson. OSU's Deven Hunter was then immediately assessed a technical for reasons unclear, and not long after OSU head coach Scott Rueck received a technical and seconds later received his second technical and an ejection. Once the dust settled, SIU chose Corrigan to go to the charity stripe for Southern's six free shots from the technicals -- where she sank each and every one to give SIU a 28-23 lead over the Beavers. Corrigan finished as one of four Salukis in double-figures with 11 points.
SALUKIS WIN FIVE OF SIX
Southern bounced back from a rough loss to Illinois on Dec. 6 (86-42) with a strong 75-65 win over Austin Peay on Dec. 13 and another decisive win over Murray State (78-63) on Dec. 16. After starting the year 1-1, the Salukis went on to win five of their next six, improving to 6-2 for the first time since the 1991-92 season.
SALUKIS OVERPOWER RACERS, 78-63
It was the Dyana Pierre show Dec. 16 at SIU Arena, where her school-record 14-of-14 performance from the field for 31 points helped push the Salukis to a 78-63 victory over Murray State. Pierre was the driving force for the Salukis (6-2) on both sides of the ball, chipping in 11 rebounds and three blocks for her 26th career double-double and helping Southern out-rebound a tall and physical Murray State (3-7) squad 43-35 in the winning effort. The Salukis improved to 6-2 for the first time since the historic NCAA Tournament team of 1991-92, but and also improved to 4-1 at home -- the best home start since the Salukis went 5-0 to start the 1996-97 season.
PERFECT PIERRE
Preseason All-MVC center Dyana Pierre had herself a day against Murray State on Dec. 16, putting in a performance that will be remembered not only by SIU's record books but by the NCAA as well. Pierre went a perfect 14-of-14 from the field for 31 points, breaking Connie Price-Smith's 1982 single game school record of field goals without a miss -- which was 12-of-12. At the same time, her 14-of-14 performance made her just the seventh player in the history of the NCAA to be perfect on at least 14 attempts -- becoming the first to do so since 2002.
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.
