Salukis looking to bounce back against Siena on Friday
11/19/2015 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
| Siena (0-2) at Southern Illinois (0-1) | |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 |
| Time | 6:30 p.m. CST |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. -- SIU Arena |
| Audio: | Southern Illinois |
| Radio | Saluki Sports Network |
| Notes | Southern Illinois | Siena | WNIT |
| 2014-15 Season Stats | Southern Illinois | Siena | |
| Live Stats | Gametracker | Valley Scoreboard |
| Social Media | @SIU_WBasketball | @Sienawomenshoops |
By: Will Becque
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Saluki women's basketball team will play host to this weekend's consolation round of the Preseason Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), welcoming Siena, Alabama State and Tennessee State to Carbondale for games on Friday and Saturday night (Nov. 20-21) at the SIU Arena.
Southern Illinois University will take on Siena College in their home opener Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
"Siena is a very well-coached and talented team that we can not obviously overlook," said head coach Cindy Stein. "It will be a tough game, they are a talented team defensively with some explosive scorers."
Siena returns three starters from a group that went to the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) Championship game, but are without its leading scorer from a year ago, Tehresa Coles, who graduated. The Saints finished second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in steals last season, averaging 8.7 per game in part because of the defensive pressure they apply. The Salukis will again face a defense that full-court presses, as the Saints have forced 37 turnovers in their two contests this season.
"I think the DePaul game has prepared us well," said Stein. "DePaul's press was more of a man-to-man press whereas Siena is more of a zone press. It's just learning how to read the gaps a little bit more."
The game will also feature two of the top rebounding teams in their respective conferences. The Salukis finished the 2014-15 campaign second in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) with 39.5 rebounds per game, while the Saints had the highest rebounding margin (+7.0) in the MAAC.
TEAM FACTS
Southern Illinois Salukis (0-1, 0-0 MVC)
Head Coach: Cindy Stein • Third season • 304-244 career record (19th season) • 22-38 at SIU
Siena University Saints (0-2, 0-0 MAAC)
Head Coach: Ali Jacques • Fourth season • 44-53 career record (fourth season) • 44-53 at Siena
ON THE AIR
Radio: Friday- WVZA 105.1 FM (6:10 airtime)
Saturday- WHET 97.7 FM (6:10 airtime)
Play-by-Play: Mike Trude, Kelly Burke
NOTES
VS. SIENA
The Saluki women's basketball team is looking to rebound after a 105-61 loss to No. 22 DePaul in the season opener.
BOUNCING BACK
SIU is 21-11 in games following a season-opening loss, last rebounding with a victory on Nov. 22, 2007, with a 71-55 win over Christian Brothers that, coincidentally, occurred after a season opening loss to DePaul.
HOME OPENERS
Since 1975-76 SIU is 18-22 in home openers, having defeated Memphis, 82-75 in its home opener a year ago. It marked the first home opening win for the program since the 2008-09 season.
SERIES HISTORY
This will mark the first time in program history that the Salukis have taken on the Saints of Siena. If SIU should play Alabama State on Saturday, that too would mark the first time the two schools have played each other. Southern holds a 3-1 series lead over Tennessee State, having won the last meeting (89-68) between the two schools on Nov. 22, 2011.
LAST TIME
SIU 89, Tennessee State 68 Ten of SIU's 12 players registered in the scoring column, including four in double figures, as the Salukis ran to a convincing 89-68 win over Tennessee State on Nov. 22, 2011 at the Gentry Center. Then freshman Cartaesha Macklin scored a game-high 20 points with seven rebounds and four assists.
PAST PRESEASON WNIT RESULTS
SIU is making its second appearance in the Preseason WNIT- the Salukis last participated in the tip-off tournament on Nov. 14, 1997, a 83-69 opening round loss to Northwestern University. Siena is also making its second appearance in the tournament, last appearing in 2002. The Saints won their opening round game that year, defeating Syracuse, 83-66 before falling to Penn State, 90-61. Both Tennessee State and Alabama State are finishing their first appearances in the Preseason WNIT.
WHATS AT STAKE...
The WNIT field consists of: Alabama State (SWAC); Baylor (Big 12); Chattanooga (Southern); Dartmouth (Ivy); DePaul (Big East); Drexel (Colonial); Indiana (Big Ten); Jacksonville (Atlantic Sun); McNeese State (Southland); Siena (Metro Atlantic); South Florida (American); Southern Illinois (MVC); Southern Miss (Conference USA); St. Bonaventure (Atlantic 10); Tennessee State (Ohio Valley); and UT Arlington (Sun Belt). Ten of the 16 teams included advanced to postseason play in 2015. This is the Preseason WNIT debut for Alabama State, Dartmouth, Jacksonville, Southern Miss, St. Bonaventure, Tennessee State and UT Arlington. Other teams making their first return to the event like SIU and DePaul are Siena (2002) and South Florida (2004). Others with multiple appearances include Drexel (2011, 2005), Indiana (2008, 1998), McNeese State (2011, 2004), Baylor (2011, 2006, 1998) and Chattanooga (2011, 2005, 2000). The semifinals of the 2015 Preseason WNIT are set, with DePaul taking on Indiana with the winner facing the winner of Baylor/South Florida for the championship.
SCOUTING ALABAMA STATE
Alabama State reached the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 17-15 record after dropping its final contest to Florida State. Jasmine Peeples, a 6-foot-2 center, closed her junior year averaging 11.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game; Britney Wright had a stellar sophomore year, closing with 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Lady Hornets won the SWAC tournament to claim the program's second berth to the NCAA Tournament and welcome five freshmen and two JUCO transfers to the roster for 2015-16.
The Lady Hornets dropped a 65-44 decision to the University of Southern Mississippi in their season opener. Alabama State shot just 31.0% from the field in the loss, while turning the ball over 24 times. Junior Kayla Tucker shot 3-of-4 from three in the contest, finishing with a team-best nine points.
SCOUTING SIENA
Siena ended last season with a 22-13 record, including an impressive 12-4 result on the road. The Saints reached the WBI title game before losing to Louisiana-Lafayette by two points and won 13 more games than the previous season with a roster that was essentially seven players deep. Meghan Donahue had a standout sophomore campaign with 10 points and five rebounds per contest. Siena added some welcomed depth to the roster in April with the signing of Karolina Severova, a 6-foot guard/forward from Prague, Czech Republic.
Siena has started the season off 0-2, falling to St. Bonaventure, 57-40 in the opening round of the Preseason WNIT before dropping a 70-67 decision to Northeastern in regular season play on Nov. 15. Kollyns Scarbrough leads the Saints in scoring (10.5 ppg) and rebounds (7.0rpg) through two contests.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE
Tennessee State won the Ohio Valley tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years before losing to Kentucky and closing with an 18-13 mark. Brianna Lawrence is the only senior on the roster for the year ahead - she averaged 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and paced the team in 3-pointers made. The Lady Tigers welcome six freshmen to the roster this year - Tyesha Hood (6-foot-5) and Tiana Parker (6-4) add size to the frontcourt along with 6-1 forwards Jordan Brightwell and Franceska Brown as the Lady Tigers look to build on their historic season. The Lady Tigers were handed an 88-56 loss by Indiana University in their season opener. Brianna Lawrence led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-25 shooting.
SIU VERSUS THE MAAC....
The Salukis have never faced an opponent from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, with Friday's matchup against Siena marking the first time that has happened in program history.
SIU VERSUS THE SWAC....
If the Salukis face Alabama State on Saturday, it would mark just the second time in program history that SIU has squared off against a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) school. Southern holds a 1-0 advantage over SWAC schools, having defeated Arkansas Pine Bluff, 75-51 on Dec. 2, 2000.
SIU VERSUS THE OVC....
Should Southern face Tennessee State, they will tangle with a conference they are more than familiar with in the Ohio Valley Conference. Five of the Salukis ten non-conference opponents this season reside in the OVC, and in 169 meetings with current OVC schools SIU sports a .727 winning percentage (123-46).
PRESEASON POLL
Southern was picked to finish fourth in the annual MVC Preseason Poll, which tallies the votes of conference coaches, media and SIDs. Missouri State has been tabbed as the preseason favorite as the Lady Bears are coming off a season in which they advanced to the 2014-15 MVC Tournament championship and closed out last season winners of 10 of their final 12 games. Missouri State, much like SIU, returns almost all of its statistical output from last season's 18-15 squad that earned a berth to the WNIT.
PIERRE NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MVC
Senior center Dyana Pierre was again one of six honorees on the MVC's Preseason All-Conference team. Pierre is coming off a superb junior campaign in which she became only the third Saluki to earn First-Team All-MVC honors in back-to-back seasons since Valley play began in 1992-93. Pierre has led the conference in rebounds in each of her three seasons, and her 10.1 career rebounds per game currently ranks her third in MVC history. The senior center is 95 rebounds shy of becoming the second Saluki to ever amass both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Pierre was efficient when it came to scoring the basketball last season, leading the conference with a .554 field goal percentage to go along with 14.8 points per game. She also led the Valley in offensive rebounds (4.3/g) and finished fourth with 1.3 blocks per game.
FAMILIAR FACES
The Salukis return nine letterwinners from last season's 17-13 squad, with all nine having appeared in at least 20 games. SIU has four seniors (Dyana Pierre, Blair Stephenson, Cartaesha Macklin, Azia Washington), three juniors (Carlie Corrigan, Kim Nebo, Rishonda Napier) and two sophomores (Kylie Giebelhausen, Celina VanHyfte) on the roster in addition to three freshmen (Ashley Hummel, Tiajaney Hawkins, Olivia Bowling).
SOUTHERN SIGNS 5 FOR 2016-17
Southern Illinois University women's basketball head coach Cindy Stein announced the addition of five student-athletes for the 2016-17 season. Caitlyn Claussen of Manhattan, Kan., Lauren Hartman of Tremont, Ill., Nicole Martin of Jefferson City, Mo., Kristen Nelson of Farmington Hills, Mich., and Brittney Patrick of Bolingbrook, Ill. are the newest members of the Saluki program, signing National Letters of Intent or letters of acceptance on signing day.
Caitlyn Claussen (Wamego High School)
Guard/Forward, 6-0
Claussen is a native of Manhattan, Kan., and was an All-League performer during a junior year in which she finished second on the team in scoring and rebounding while helping Wamego advance to the Kansas Class 4A title game. She is a two-time North Central Kansas League All-League selection, including a nod on the First-Team this past season and also has garnered back-to-back selections on the Manhattan Mercury Flinthills All-Area team. The Wamego High School product plays AAU for the Ohlde Elite in Morganville, Kan., having attended the PBR Super 64 2014 National Championships, as well as being chosen for the All American Games tournament.
Lauren Hartman (Tremont High School)
Center/Forward, 6-3
Hartman is a three-sport athlete at Tremont, earning All-Heart of Illinois Conference honors in volleyball, basketball and softball as a Turk. She averaged just under a double-double during her junior year, securing a spot on the All-Area team as well as the All-Heart of Illinois Conference First-Team. As a junior, Hartman helped lead Tremont to a 27-2 record, and its first regional championship since 1992. Hartman is a National Honors Society member as well.
Nicole Martin (Jefferson City High School)
Forward, 6-1
Martin is a three-sport athlete at Jefferson City, finishing fourth in the high jump at the state meet her junior year, while averaging 16 points and seven rebounds per game that year in basketball. She is a two-time All-Jefferson County Conference and All-Area honoree. She also earned a spot on the 2014-15 All-Central District team and played AAU for the Missouri Lady Warriors. Nicole has family ties to Southern, as her sister, Kezia, is a sprinter on the SIU track & field team.
Kristen Nelson (Harrison High School)
Guard, 5-9
Nelson has been one of Oakland County's top players for the past three years, and as a junior she averaged 14.4 points, five assists, four rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. She has led her team in scoring, steals and assists in each of the past two seasons, and entering her senior campaign ranks first in school history in career assists, second all-time in both blocks and steals, and is seventh in scoring.
Brittney Patrick (Bolingbrook High School)
Guard, 5-6
Patrick was named the March 2015 Chicago Tribune Female Student-Athlete of the Month and led her team in scoring, assists, and steals this past season. Patrick is also a 2014-15 Illinois All-State Special Mention who has earned All-Conference and All-Area honors in each of the past two seasons. During her junior year, she helped the Lady Raiders win the 2015 IHSA Regional Championship.
MACKLIN CLIMBING UP THE RANKS
Cartaesha Macklin comes into the season sixth all-time in SIU history with 1,335 career points. She needs 204 points to pass Amy Rakers (1987-1991) for most all-time. Over a 29-game stretch she would need to average 7.0 points per game this season to pass Rakers, and needs 46 points to pass D.D. Plab (1980-84) to move into fifth all-time. Macklin also needs to make eight free throws to pass Molly McDowell (1999-03) for most in a career. The redshirt senior from Mayo, Fla. missed both of her attempts in the loss to DePaul on Nov. 13.
1,000 POINTS-500 REBOUNDS CLUB
With 42 rebounds, Cartaesha Macklin can become the 16th Saluki to score over 1000 points and grab 500 or more rebounds. Macklin would become just the fourth to join the club since the 2001 season, with Dyana Pierre being the most recent member.
PIERRE EYES SCHOOL RECORDS
Sue Faber could have some company this year. The 1983 SIU graduate, who scored 1,507 points and snagged 1,014 career rebounds has sat alone atop the the all-time list as the top rebounder in Southern's history, as well as the lone member of the 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound club. Senior forward/center Dyana Pierre needs 95 rebounds to join Faber in that illustrious club, and needs 110 rebounds to pass Faber to become Southern's all-time leading rebounder.
WASHINGTON ON THE RISE
Senior forward/center Azia Washington needs 20 points this season to become the 32nd Saluki to score 800 career points, and only the 18th member of the 800-point/500-rebound club. Washington had only attempted 12 3-pointers coming into last season, and promptly shot 40.6% (26-of-64) from behind the arc, the highest 3-point field goal percentage on the Salukis of anyone who had more than 25 attempts.
THE VALLEY ON ESPN3
This past summer, the Missouri Valley Conference and ESPN announced a 10-year extension to their current media rights agreement. As part of the deal- which continues a business relationship that began in 1986- ESPN, the MVC and its 10 member institutions will work jointly to develop in-house production capabilities at each campus that will provide significant national coverage for multiple sports on ESPN. As a result, EPSN3 will showcase a minimum of 820 events a year in the final six years of the agreement. This season, Saluki fans will have an opportunity to stream and watch 23 of the Salukis' 30 games.
SALUKI RADIO NETWORK
The flagship station for Saluki women's basketball is WVZA 105.1 FM. Bryce Williams is in his fourth season as the full-time radio broadcaster for Saluki women's basketball. All audio from Saluki basketball games are available on SIUSalukis.com.
FOLLOW US
The official Twitter and Instagram 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 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.
