Salukis look to keep momentum rolling at Evansville on Friday
02/12/2015 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
| Game 23: Southern Illinois (13-9, 6-5 MVC) at Evansville (10-12, 5-6 MVC) | |
| Date | Friday, Feb. 13, 2015 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. CST |
| Location | Evansville, Ind. -- Ford Center (9,640) |
| Video | AcesTV (subscription) |
| Radio | WVZA 105.1 FM (6:40 airtime) |
| Audio Stream | Stretch Internet (free) |
| Notes | Southern Illinois | Evansville | Missouri Valley |
| Season Stats | Southern Illinois | Evansville | Missouri Valley |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast | Valley Scoreboard |
| SIU Media Guide | Media Guide |
| Social Media | @SIU_WBasketball  | Facebook  |
By Tyler Wooten
SIUSalukis.com
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The Saluki women's basketball team is looking to continue its incredible winning streak this weekend when it will make the first of two stops in the Hoosier State at Evansville on Friday night.
TEAM FACTS
Southern Illinois Salukis (13-9, 6-5 MVC)
Head Coach: Cindy Stein • Second season • 300-240 career record (18th season) • 18-34 at SIU
Evansville Purple Aces (10-12, 5-6 MVC)
Head Coach: Oties Epps • Fourth season • 39-74 career record (fourth season) • 39-74 at UE
ON THE AIR
Radio: WVZA 105.1 FM
Video Stream: AcesTV (subscription)
Audio Stream: Stretch Internet (free)
Play-by-Play: Bryce Williams (third season)
NOTES
SERIES HISTORY
Until earlier this season, the all-time series between the Salukis and Purple Aces was all knotted up. UE has taken a 26-25 advantage after defeating SIU in Carbondale on Jan. 18, 63-58. The series only goes back to 1984, but in conference games since 1995 the Purple Aces hold a 25-19 lead.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
After defeating Southern at SIU Arena on Jan. 18, the Purple Aces have gone on a five-game losing streak to fall to 10-12 overall and 5-6 in Valley play. Evansville has been without second-leading scorer, Mallory Ladd, for the last six games -- during which UE's only win has been over SIU, which was missing its starting point guad in Rishonda Napier. Still, UE has the Valley's second-best scorer in sophomore Sara Dickey, who is averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting 39.2 from the field and 32.2 from three. Khristian Hart is UE's third-leading scorer at 10.8 points per game, and was the offensive catalyst in their win over Southern, in which she was the overall leading scorer with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. As a team, Evansville is shooting about as well as it is letting other teams shoot (.402 to .407) but getting out-rebounded 40.1 to 33.3. The Aces are also getting to the line at an absurd rate, as they have shot nearly 100 more free throws than their opponents all season long.
SIU AGAINST THE MISSOURI VALLEY
Overall, SIU is 287-315 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 271-294 all-time in regular season conference play dating back to its first season in the Gateway in 1983, and are 133-252 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 278-314 and a conference mark of 243-271 dating back to 1983. In conference play (including the MVC Tournament), SIU has a winning record over three active teams: Bradley (43-24), Illinois State (35-34) and Wichita State (34-30); and a losing record with the remaining six schools: Drake (25-44), Evansville (19-25), Indiana State (32-33), Loyola (1-2), Missouri State (23-46) and Northern Iowa (31-33). 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.
CHAOS AT THE ARENA
Chaos reigned supreme in Carbondale last weekend, as Southern Illinois knocked off two of the top-three teams in the Valley in Drake (81-76) and UNI (79-75). Southern played its best team basketball of the year in both games and got insane individual career performances out of Rishonda Napier (career-high 30 points vs. Drake) and Dyana Pierre (26 points and a career-high 21 rebounds vs. UNI). In the two games, SIU averaged 80 points, shot .456 from the field, out-rebounded opponents 42.5 to 31.0 and had an assist/turnover ratio of 1.9 -- nearly double SIU's season average entering the weekend. SIU is now 9-2 at home (best since 1994-95) and on their first four-game winning streak since 2006-07.
STEIN WINS 300TH GAME
There couldn't have been a better way for SIU head coach Cindy Stein to achieve her 300th career win in 18 seasons as a head coach. Following a monumental upset of top-ranked Drake on Feb. 6, Stein and the Salukis broke an 11-game slide against UNI on Feb. 8 for her 300th win. Stein's career record of 300-240 is the largest among active Valley coaches by a considerable amount, and she also just recently passed 200 career victories as a Division I head coach on Jan. 30 against Loyola. Stein spent 12 years at Missouri where she won 185 games, and she has 18 in two seasons at SIU. Overall, Stein is 300-240 as a head coach, and as a Division I head coach she is 203-211.
SALUKIS BREAK SLIDE VS. UNI, 79-75
Less than two full days since their shocking 81-76 win over top-ranked Drake Feb. 6, the Saluki women's basketball team showed they are for real after emerging victorious over the Missouri Valley's No. 3 team UNI, 79-75, at SIU Arena on Feb. 8.
The incredible turnaround season continued in thrilling fashion once again for second-year head coach Cindy Stein and the Salukis (13-9, 6-5 MVC), who were able to erase a 10-point Northern Iowa (12-10, 8-3 MVC) lead on a lights-out second-half shooting percentage of 71.4. For Stein, the win was her 300th in 18 seasons as a head coach.
"(Drake and Northern Iowa) are probably the two best offensive machines you got in the Valley because they run so much stuff and they always have a counter for everything," Stein said. "For us to be able to persevere through that -- of course it took outstanding shooting to do it -- but we did it."
SIU's success was directly correlated to an unbelievable career performance out of Dyana Pierre, who had a double-double in the second half alone with 18 points and 11 rebounds of her 26 and 21 total. For Pierre, this is her 33rd career double-double -- tying her for sixth all-time in MVC history with Drake's Carla Bennett.
"She was phenomenal," Stein said. "Dyana probably has the ugliest shot you'll ever see. She's not pure, but she's a great athlete and she makes it work. It was pretty to watch though, wasn't it?"
SALUKIS SHOCK DRAKE, 81-76
It was a wild ride at SIU Arena on Feb. 6, as the Saluki women's basketball team emerged victorious in one of the best women's games in recent SIU memory, upsetting the top-ranked Drake Bulldogs, 81-76.
The Salukis (12-9, 5-5 MVC) overcame a preposterous first-half three-point shooting effort out of Drake (14-7, 9-1 MVC), who sank seven of 12 three-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes. Much of that had to do with a stifling Saluki defense that held the nation's seventh-best scorer, Lizzy Wendell (27 points, 5-of-9 3PT) to just nine second half points after exploding for Drake's first nine points in the game.
Much of SIU's comeback also had to do with a truly impressive team effort on Southern's part. The Salukis only turned the ball over six times (the fewest since Jan. 20, 2008, five, vs. Creighton), recorded 20 assists, hauled in 19 offensive boards (of their 47 total), and had four players in double-digit scoring and two with double-doubles -- led by leading scorer Rishonda Napier with a career-high 30 points (seven rebounds, 9-of-21 FG, 5-of-13 3PT).
"I'm just really proud of our kids," said SIU head coach Cindy Stein of her 299th career victory in 18 seasons as a head coach. "Our kids really executed our game plan, they understood what we wanted to do. This is comparable to us beating Wichita State last year in the fact that we had laid out a game plan and our kids did it, so all the credit in the world goes to them. They were outstanding, they believed they could win, and there was never a doubt in their minds that they could win."
SALUKIS OUTRUN BRADLEY, 76-59
The Saluki women's basketball team improved to 7-2 at home and swept its first Missouri Valley Conference weekend series for the first time since 2008-09 with a strong 76-59 victory over Bradley at SIU Arena on Feb. 1 for the 2015 Salukis Go Pink game.
Bradley (3-17, 2-7 MVC) jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the game, but the Salukis (11-9, 4-5 MVC) responded with an 11-0 run sparked by three treys from Rishonda Napier (18 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, 4-of-8 3PT) and never looked back. Southern put on a clinic on the boards (season-high 47 team rebounds), had three in scorers in double-digits (with two more on the cusp), dished out 17 assists, converted a season-high 22 of its season-high 29 free throw attempts, and were able to shut out Bradley from the three-point line for nearly three-quarters of the game.
"We found ways to win, and today it was at the free throw line and not letting them come back," said SIU head coach Cindy Stein.
SALUKIS GO PINK
The Feb. 1 contest between SIU and Bradley was also the annual Salukis Go Pink game, which helped raise funds for the completion of a comprehensive cancer center in southern Illinois through the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation. Southern wore special pink Under Armour jerseys that displayed the name of the winning bidders from the SalukisGoPink.com auction on the back. After the game, Saluki student-athletes met the winning bidders and presented them their jerseys.
"This was a huge game for us," SIU head coach Cindy Stein. "I know it meant a lot to our team. They took a lot of pride in those uniforms and the names on the backs. It means a lot to our kids, they feel like it's a special moment and a great cause."
SALUKIS OVERCOME LOYOLA, 64-58
SIU head coach Cindy Stein said in her post game press conference that it was a "tale of two halves" in Southern's 64-58 victory over Loyola at SIU Arena on Jan. 30. Fortunately for the Salukis, the second half of that tale worked out in SIU's favor.
Southern (10-9, 3-5 MVC) got off to a rough start against Loyola (2-17, 0-8 MVC), who shot 50 percent in the first half (15-30) and led by as many as 10 points by the opening minute of the second half. The Salukis responded in kind with a 50 percent clip from the field (12-24) of their own in the second half and held the Rambler offense to 29 percent shooting in the latter frame to help snap their three-game losing streak. Individually, the Saluki comeback was sparked by impressive outings from Dyana Pierre (18 points, 18 rebounds, three blocks, 7-of-14 FG), Cartaesha Macklin (17 points, six rebounds, five assists, 10-of-12 FT) and Kylie Giebelhausen (13 points, four rebounds).
"I feel like our defense made the stops that needed to be done," Stein said. "And, I felt like Dyana Pierre on the boards -- she got boards I have no idea how she got -- and that saved us. Kylie Giebelhausen hit some big shots, and we had some big free throws from Cartaesha (Macklin), so we had pieces of all these different kids stepping up."
PLACE A BOOKMARK FOR 2014-15
SIU head coach Cindy Stein and the Salukis would agree there is a lot of season left, but there are already plenty of reasons to get your highlighter out for the 2014-15 season. At 13-9, SIU has the most wins in the program since the 2006-07 NIT team finished 21-11. After four straight wins at home, Southern is now 9-2 at home -- the best through 11 home games since the 1994-95 team went 10-1. SIU's 17-point victory over Bradley on Sunday is the largest since SIU defeated Evansville by 26 on Feb. 26, 2012. And, this past weekend sweep was SIU's first Valley weekend sweep since 2008-09. The four-game streak is the first overall since 2006-07, and from that same season it is also the first four-game home winning streak, first four-game MVC winning streak and first four-game home MVC winning streak. The 2006-07 team won it's last eight conference games to close out the season and 14 of its last 15 and 17 of its last 19.
HISTORIC SEASON
Here is an impressive list of firsts and milestones achieved through 22 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
• 6-2 at home for the first time since 1996-97
• 7-2 at home; best since 1994-95 (8-1)
• 11 wins are most since 2006-07 (21)
• 17-point win over Bradley largest since 2012.
• First MVC weekend sweep since 2009 (Loyola, Bradley)
• Upset top-ranked Drake 81-76 on Feb. 6.
• Started 8-2 at home for first time since 1994-95.
• Broke an 11-game losing streak to UNI on Feb. 8. (79-75)
• Started 9-2 at home for first time since 1994-95.
• 13 wins are the most since 2006-07
• Four-game winning streak the first since 2006-07
• Four-game home winning streak first since 06-07
• Four game MVC winning streak first since 06-07
• Four-game home MVC winning streak first since 06-07
• First consecutive MVC weekend sweep since 06-07
HOME SWEET HOME
The Salukis are currently 9-2 at home, which ranks as the best home record through 11 games since the 1994-95 squad went 10-1. Southern has not started 10-2 at home since the 1994-95 team went 11-1 at home. If SIU were to to go 11-2, that would be the best record since the 1986-87 team finished the year 13-0 and went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished the year ranked No. 16. At home, SIU is out-shooting opponents from the field .427 to .413, out-shooting opponents from beyond the arc .329 to .325, out-rebounding opponents 42.4 to 35.5, out-scoring opponents 70.0 to 65.6, and dominating the second half by a total score of 400-350.
DIRTY DYANA
It was an unbelievable weekend for Dyana Pierre, who played an instrumental part in Southern's upset wins over MVC-leading Drake (81-76) and Northern Iowa (79-75). Pierre averaged 21.5 points and 17.5 rebounds in the two contests, in which she recorded her 32nd and 33rd career double-doubles -- the latter of which now ranks her tied for sixth all-time in Valley history. Against Drake, Pierre scored 17 points and hauled in 14 boards, scoring 11 points alone in SIU's second-half surge to victory. Against UNI, Pierre was unstoppable, putting up 26 points and grabbing a career-high 21 rebounds -- recording a double-double in the second half alone with 18 and 11 in the latter frame. Pierre's dominance against the Panthers contributed toward and enabled other Salukis to its absurd 71.4 percent from the field in the second half, which in turn allowed SIU to erase a 10-point UNI lead and keep the Panthers at bay down the stretch. Pierre has now recorded a double-double in four consecutive games for the first time in her career. She currently has 12 on the season, games in which SIU is 11-1. Against UNI, she also recorded her 800th career rebound, making her one of six Salukis to ever join the 900-800 club.
PIERRE JOINS 900-800 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, and was able to follow that up with her 800th career rebound against UNI on Feb. 8 -- becoming just the sixth Saluki ever to join the 900-800 club. Pierre isn't too far away from becoming 23rd 1,000-point scorer in SIU history, either. She currently sits in 23rd all-time with 984 career points. Eventually, Pierre would also become only the sixth Saluki to ever join the 1,000-800 club.
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. Pierre currently sits at 984 career points, passing Erica Smith for 23rd all-time at SIU. She has also jumped into the top-five in rebounding, where she currently sits at fifth all-time with 818 career boards. Pierre also just recently passed 100 career blocks, and sits in second place all-time at SIU with 105.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR DYANA
Pierre recorded her 32nd and 33rd career double-doubles last week with an 17 point, 14 rebound performance at home against Drake on Feb. 1 and a 26 points, 21 rebound outing against UNI on Feb. 8. At 33, Pierre is now tied with Drake's Carla Bennett for sixth all-time in MVC history. Pierre has had a double-double in 12 of SIU's 22 games (SIU is 11-1 in such games).
PIERRE WATCH
Junior center Dyana Pierre is having a career year for the Salukis. Pierre has already jumped into the top-five in rebounding (currently at 818) and the top-25 in scoring (currently at 984) in SIU history, and also ranks highly in several national categories. Pierre has the 22nd-best field goal percentage in the nation at .550, 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 also ranks 10th nationally in rebounding at 11.5 boards per game.
NAPIER GOES OFF
Redshirt sophomore Rishonda Napier is less than two weeks off a dislocated shoulder, but you couldn't tell the difference against Drake on Feb. 6. Napier was SIU's offensive rock, going off for a career-high 30 points to help SIU take down the top-ranked Bulldogs. Napier was 9-of-21 from the field and 5-of-13 from beyond the arc and was also able to sink all seven of her free throw attempts.
NAPIER CAN'T MISS
Rishonda Napier has been money from the charity stripe this season. The redshirt sophomore has only missed eight free throws all season (60-68), and in conference play she is nearly perfect at 39-of-42 (.929). Napier's season percentage of 88.2 ranks 18th in the NCAA this year.
NAPIER CAREER MILESTONES
Rishonda Napier is also starting to climb her way up SIU's record book in just her second full season. Napier is one of three Salukis this season to eclipse 700 career points, and -- along with junior Azia Washington -- was one of two Salukis to do so against UNI on Feb. 8. These last two games also catapulted Napier up to sixth in SIU's all-time list of three-pointers made, with 104 career treys.
MACKLIN ENTERS THE TOP-10
Redshirt junior Cartaesha Macklin recently stepped into an elite class in the Saluki record books, jumping into the top-10 all-time in scoring at SIU after a 17-point performance against Loyola on Jan. 30. Macklin currently sits in 8th place all-time in school history at 1,248 career points. 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 13.9 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 287 points, which would give her 1,318 points and rank her in sixth place above Connie Price and Molly McDowell.
ON A DIME
Junior Cartaesha Macklin has proved herself a masterful field general in the latter half of this season. The Mayo, Fla., native put up 20 assists in three games at Missouri State (eight), at Wichita State (seven) and at home against Loyola (five). Macklin was also able to put up 12 assists in two games last week against Drake (seven) and UNI (five). Macklin's 3.4 assists per game ranks third in the Valley this season, and her 3.9 assists in MVC games ranks third as well.
GETTING TO THE LINE
Macklin had a superb day from the charity stripe against Loyola on Jan. 30, going 10-of-12 from the line for 10 of her 17 points. Macklin led a Saluki offensive from the free throw line, where SIU went 18-of-24. When SIU attempts more free throws than its opponents, it is 9-1; when opponents get to the line more often, the Salukis are 4-8.
SIU HAS FOUR ACTIVE WITH 700
On Feb. 8 vs. UNI, both Rishonda Napier and Azia Washington cracked 700 career points at SIU. Combined with Cartaesha Macklin (1,248) and Dyana Pierre (984), the Salukis now have four active student-athletes with at least 700 points in their career -- the first time that has happened on an SIU roster since 2007-08.
WASHINGTON PASSES 500 REBOUNDS
Junior Azia Washington nabbed six rebounds against Loyola on Jan. 30, pushing her over the 500 rebound plateau for her Saluki career. After recently eclipsing 700 career points, Washington is now one of two active Salukis -- along with Dyana Pierre -- to join the 700-500 club, one of only 17 Salukis to ever do so.
NEW TERRITORY
Junior forward Azia Washington advanced her game beyond the three-point arc this season. Entering 2014-15, Washington only had two three-point field goals in two seasons with the Salukis. In 20 games this year, though, Washington has gone 19-of-50 (.380) from beyond the arc, giving Southern yet another deep threat.
GIEBELHAUSEN COMES ALIVE
Freshman Kylie Giebelhausen rebounded from a rough couple of weeks to explode offensively against Missouri State (16 points), Wichita State (18 points) and Loyola (13 points). The East Peoria, Ill., native set new career-bests against Missouri State and Wichita State, and has sparked several crucial Saluki runs in each Valley game down the stretch. 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 for her first career three-game double-digit streak.
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 started three games for Southern in Napier's absence. More playing time for the Saluki bench could prove beneficial down the line; the Salukis are a perfect 6-0 when its bench out-scores opponents, but 7-9 when it either ties or is out-scored by the other team.
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 +5.0 -- the best by more than two 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 seven games, six of them wins. SIU also has two top-20 rebounders in the MVC in Dyana Pierre (first, 11.5/game) and Azia Washington (fifth, 7.0/game). Southern is 13-6 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 11-1 and the rest of the offense opens up as an after-effect. In nine of those 12 games, Southern has had at least three scorers in double-digits. In all 12 games the Salukis are shooting .449 from the field and .361 from three, and they are dishing out 16.0 assists per game.
THE SALUKI FIVE
Unlike previous seasons, the Salukis have a strong starting five. SIU's starting squad of Rishonda Napier (point guard), redshirt junior Cartaesha Macklin (guard), freshman Kylie Giebelhausen (guard), junior Azia Washington (forward) and junior Dyana Pierre (center) are 12-5 this season -- starting their first game together at home against Memphis and going on to win five of their next six games.
PROTECT THE ROCK
Even though SIU is averaging 15.0 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. SIU topped that against Drake on Feb. 6, where it only turned the ball over six times, the fewest since Jan. 20, 2008 (five, vs. Creighton). The Salukis are 7-4 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 12-3 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 seven of 22 games.
OFFENSE EQUALS W'S
The adage is "defense wins championships," but through 22 games Southern is showing up stronger on the offense end has meant a check-mark in the win column. The Salukis are 13-3 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 11-2 when out-shooting opponents from the field.
ATTENDANCE JUMPS UP
The 13-9 Salukis have seen a steady growth in attendance at SIU Arena this year. In 11 home games, SIU is averaging 838 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 187.1 percent.
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.
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.
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.
