Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Women's Basketball set to host Evansville on Saturday
01/15/2016 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
| Evansville (2-13, 1-3 MVC) at Southern Illinois (10-6, 3-1 MVC) | |
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016 |
| Time | 2 p.m. CT |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. / SIU Arena (8,284) |
| Game Notes | Southern Illinois |
| Video | ESPN3 |
| Radio | Saluki All-Access |
| Live Stats | Game Tracker |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Media Guide | SIU Media Guide |
| Social Media | @SIU_WBasketball |
By: Will Becque
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Salukis close out a three-game homestand with a Missouri Valley Conference showdown with the Evansville Purple Aces at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Fans can tune into WVZA 105.1 FM starting at 1:40 p.m. for game coverage, while the game can also be viewed on ESPN3. SIU history will be made on Saturday, with redshirt senior Cartaesha Macklin needing one point to break Amy Rakers' all-time career scoring record.
Macklin comes into Saturday's contest averaging 13.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season and has scored in double-figures in 10 of SIU's last 11 contests. In six career games against the Purple Aces, Macklin averages 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and needs just one point to surpass SIU hall of famer Amy Rakers, who scored 1,538 career points from 1987 to 1991. Macklin is also SIU's all-time leader in free throws made, and should become Southern's all-time leader in minutes played and games played before the 2015-16 season is all said and done.
Despite the attention her ascent up the record books is bringing her, the Mayo, Fla. native has remained focused on her ultimate goal- bringing a conference championship back to Carbondale.
"My biggest goal is to win a championship," said Macklin. "Even though breaking records is awesome, I'm still trying to get that ultimate goal."
Rakers, who has since won state championships as a head coach in Alaska coaching both boys and girls basketball, had no idea that her 25-year old school record would stand for as long as it did.
"When you're young and in the midst of it you never really realize that it's such a big deal," said Rakers. "Then for [the career points record] to last so long you're like "huh, was that a lot of points?" I didn't really think of it as being such a big deal, but now looking back on it and looking at records in the book it's pretty surprising."
The Salukis (10-6, 3-1 MVC) and the Purple Aces (2-13, 1-3 MVC) tangle for the 53rd time in a series that dates back to 1983. The two sides are looking to break a 26-26 series tie, with Southern having won the previous meeting between the two schools, a 62-53 win in Evansville on Feb. 13, 2015.
The Purple Aces have lost 11 of their last 12, snapping an 11-game losing streak with a 62-46 win over Bradley on Jan. 10. While Evansville has had a tough row to hoe so far this season, SIU head coach Cindy Stein doesn't want her team to look past the Purple Aces because of their win-loss record.
"Evansville has been a team that's struggled this season, but that's not a team we can ever overlook," said Stein. "They're very good, and [head coach] Oties Epps does a great job of finding something to exploit, and then working crazy mad to get what he wants. His kids play really hard for him."
Junior guard Sara Dickey returns for the Purple Aces, and has led the team in scoring in 12 of Evansville's 15 games this season. The Montezuma, Ind. native comes into Saturday's tilt with a career 17.8 points per game average, and in four career meetings against the Salukis averages 23.0 points per game including two 30-plus point performances.
"[Dickey] is incredible," said Stein. "She's a handful- they're going to run her off of double-staggered screens, double-staggered on-ball screens, double-staggered fade screens. They're constantly screening for her, and then she'll screen and pop. [Evansville] really puts you in a tough situation where they're trying to see how you defend [Dickey]. They look for that mismatch and once they get a mismatch, [Dickey] tries to work as hard as she can to make you pay for it."
In addition to Macklin, the Salukis will depend on the post presence of Dyana Pierre, who averages 9.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in six career games against the Purple Aces. Southern has never lost to Evansville when Pierre posts a double-double, sporting a 2-0 record when the Port St. Lucie, Fla., native scores 10-plus points and grabs 10-plus rebounds. The redshirt senior leads the Valley, and is eighth in the nation, with 12.2 rebounds per game and is SIU's all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots.
University faculty and staff with a university ID can attend Saturday's game against Evansville for free. Additional tickets for family and friends are available at a discount, and can be purchased by calling 877-SALUKIS (725-8547).
FASTBREAK FACTS
-Saturday marks the 53rd meeting between SIU and Evansville, with the two sides splitting the 52 previous matchups, 26-26. Southern is 12-11 all-time against the Purple Aces at the SIU Arena.
-SIU joins the defending national champion UConn Huskies and the 11th-ranked Oregon State Beavers as the only three programs in NCAA DI with three active 1,000-point scorers on the roster.
-SIU has had at least two players in double figures in every single game this season.
-Pierre is one of just five active DI student-athletes with 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
-Three Salukis have double-figure season averages. Redshirt junior Rishonda Napier leads the team with 15.2 points per game, redshirt senior Dyana Pierre is averaging 13.6 and redshirt senior Cartaesha Macklin holds onto a 13.4 average.
-Redshirt senior Dyana Pierre leads the Valley in rebounds per game and offensive rebounds per game, ranking eighth and fourth in the nation in those categories, respectively.
-Redshirt senior Cartaesha Macklin leads the Valley, and is fourth in the nation, in free throw percentage, shooting at a 92.0% (46-of-50) clip from the charity stripe.
-SIU is a perfect 5-0 this season when grabbing 20+ offensive rebounds and 3-0 when corralling 20+ offensive and 30+ defensive boards.
SERIES HISTORY
The Salukis and the Purple Aces meet for the 53rd time in a series that dates back to 1984. While each side has won 26 games in the series, Southern won the last meeting between the two schools, a 62-53 win in Evansville on Feb. 13, 2015. SIU last beat Evansville in the Arena on Dec. 26, 2014 with a 66-57 victory behind 24 points and 14 rebounds from Dyana Pierre. Pierre averages 9.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in six career meetings against the Purple Aces, and the Salukis haven't lost to Evansville when Pierre notches a double-double, sporting a 2-0 record in those contests, while Southern attempts to move to 4-1 in Valley play for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
LAST TIME
SIU 62, EVANSVILLE 53
Southern extended its winning streak to five games for the first time since 2006-07 with a Feb. 13, 2015 victory over the Purple Aces. Kylie Giebelhausen shot 5-of-6 from three in the win, while Rishonda Napier finished with 13 points and six assists.
RPI RANKINGS
According to Warrennolan.com, SIU's 114 trails on Drake (90) for tops in the MVC, while Evansville comes in Saturday's contest with a RPI of 285.
ONE OF JUST THREE
Southern Illinois is one of just three programs in the nation with three 1,000-point scorers (Rishonda Napier, Dyana Pierre, Cartaesha Macklin) on the roster. SIU joins the defending national champion UConn Huskies and the 11th-ranked Oregon State Beavers as the only programs to have three 1,000-point scorers.
BUCKING THE TREND
Southern Illinois' win at both Drake and Northern Iowa early this year not only improved SIU to 9-5 for the first time since 1994-95 and gave it its first 2-0 start in Valley play since 2006-07, but it also snapped a couple of nasty streaks. First, the victory over the Bulldogs broke a nine-game losing streak at Drake dating back to Feb. 16, 2007 while the win at Northern Iowa was the first for the Salukis since Jan. 13, 2007.
With the win over Bradley, Southern had its first 3-0 Valley start since the 1993-94 season.
THE STEIN EFFECT
Since Cindy Stein's arrival in Carbondale, the Salukis have taken better care of the basketball than previous SIU squads. In 2013-14, Stein's first season at the helm, the Salukis finished with more assists than turnovers in three games- which was as many times as SIU had accomplished that feat in the previous three seasons combined. The following season, the Salukis finished with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio 14 times, the most since the 2007-08 team that accomplished the task 12 times en route to a WNIT berth. This season, the Salukis have finished with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio eight times in 16 contests, and did so in four-straight games for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The Salukis are 20-5 under Stein when recording more assists than turnovers.
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 10.2 career rebounds per game currently ranks her third in MVC history.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
With her next two points, Cartaesha Macklin will pass Amy Rakers (1987-1991) for 1st on SIU's all-time scoring list with 1,540 points. Rakers record has stood for 25 years.
Macklin also needs to play 51 minutes over the course of the season to have played the most minutes in Saluki history. She currently ranks second at 3,521 and is just the second Saluki to have played 3,500-plus minutes in a career.
1,000 POINTS-500 REBOUNDS CLUB
With eight rebounds in the win over Morehead State, Cartaesha Macklin became the 16th Saluki to score over 1000 points and grab 500 or more rebounds. Macklin is just the fourth to join the club since the 2001 season, with Dyana Pierre being the most recent member and also became the first Saluki to ever amass 1,500 points, 400 assists, and 500 rebounds in a career.
PIERRE ALL-TIME LEADING REBOUNDER
Sue Faber has some company. The 1983 SIU graduate, who scored 1,507 points and snagged 1,014 career rebounds has sat alone atop 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 Dyana Pierre became the second Saluki to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds with her 14 boards in the win over Morehead State, and with her seven boards in the victory over SEMO became Southern's all-time leading rebounder. The redshirt senior forward is third all-time in Valley history.
Pierre became just the sixth in Valley history, and the first since 2008, to amass 1,000 pts/1,000 rebounds, joining:
Jennifer Kackza (Wichita State)
Alex Cook (UNI)
Angela Buckner (Wichita State)
Jill Martin (Drake)
Wanda Ford (Drake)
Pierre is also one of just five active players in the 1,000 point/1,000 rebound club, along with:
Jillian Alleyne, Oregon
Joy Adams, Iona
Alisia Jenkins, South Florida
Ruvanna Campbell, Ill.-Chicago
PIERRE REBOUNDS IN BUNCHES
Dyana Pierre has grabbed 15+ rebounds in three-straight contests, marking the fourth time a Saluki has had such a streak since 1976, and the third-time Pierre has done it. Amy Raker recorded 15+ rebounds in three-straight games from 11/23-11/30/90. No Saluki has ever grabbed 15+ boards in four-straight games.
Of the 80 games of 15+ rebounds in SIU history, Pierre's 24 account for more than a quarter of them. Pierre has recorded 15+ rebounds five times already this season- or as many 15+ rebound performances as there were for Southern from 2008 to 2012.
PIERRE HITS THE CENTURY MARK
In the win over SEMO on Dec. 22, Dyana Pierre not only broke the school rebounding record- she also became the 39th Saluki to play in 100 games and made her 100th career start against Bradley.
MACKLIN MOVING ON UP
By playing against Evansville on Saturday, Cartaesha Macklin will pass former Saluki standout Petra Jackson with her 115th game played, moving into a four-way tie for seventh place in the category. By playing in eight of the Salukis remaining 14 regular season games, Macklin can become the Salukis all-time leader in games played.
HAWKINS TO REDSHIRT
Head coach Cindy Stein announced that freshman Tiajaney Hawkins will require surgery on her injured shoulder, an injury she suffered against Memphis on Nov. 29, and will medically redshirt for the remainder of this season. Hawkins appeared in five games this season, averaging three points and one rebound.
TWO GOOD HALVES MAKE A WHOLE
Southern scored 50 points in the first half during its win over Morehead State on Dec. 12- its most in an opening half since tallying 52 points in the first half of a 95-76 victory over Indiana State on Jan. 3, 2008. The Salukis scored 52 points in the second half, the most in any half since putting up 52 in the second half against Saint Louis University on Nov. 14, 2008.
3 SQUAD #BOOM
The Salukis drained 10 3-pointers in the win over Morehead State, including a career-high tying six from Rishonda Napier. It marked the first time that Southern has made double-digits 3s since March 14, 2013 against Evansville, and Napier's six 3s were the fifth-most in a single game in program history.
Napier again tied a career-high with six three-pointers in the Dec. 19 win over Mercer, marking the second consecutive game in which she hit six triples. She is the first player in program history to hit six from beyond the arc in back-to-back contests and is the first Saluki since Teri Oliver in 2009-10 with five or more threes in back-to-back games. The Burbank, Calif. native is tied for fifth in the Valley in 3-point field goal percentage (.393) and second in 3-pointers per game (2.6).
Southern is 8-1 this season when Napier makes 40% of her 3-point attempts.
SHOWING THEIR RANGE
The Salukis made 10 3-pointers in the win over Drake, the second time this season they've made 10-plus three-pointers. The last time that SIU made 10-plus threes twice in a season was the 2011-12 season, as Southern made 11 against UT Martin on Dec. 18, 2011 and followed with 11 in a 78-72 MVC win over Missouri State on Jan. 19, 2012.
ACTIVE AROUND THE RIM
The Salukis out-rebounded Morehead State, 63-to-45 in the win on Dec. 12. SIU finished one off the school-record, and it marks the eighth-most rebounds in a single game in Valley history. The +18 rebounding margin was the largest for SIU since the Salukis posted a +20 in a 76-71 overtime win over Murray State on Dec. 19, 2009.
Nine of SIU's 10 wins this season have come in games in which Southern wins the rebounding battle, with the Salukis out-rebounding their opponent in a total of 13 of their 16 contests this season. The Dawgs are averaging 44.94 boards per contest, the 15th most per game in the NCAA, and have four players averaging five rebounds or more per game: Dyana Pierre (12.2), Kylie Giebelhausen (5.3), Cartaesha Macklin (5.5) and Kim Nebo (5.8).
The Salukis are currently 18th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (17.0) and 20th in total rebounds (719) while Evansville comes into Saturday's showdown averaging 32.07 rebounds per tilt.
CONTROLLING THE GLASS
The Salukis are a perfect 5-0 this season when grabbing 20+ offensive rebounds and 3-0 when corralling 20+ offensive and 30+ defensive boards.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD
The Salukis broke a 31-year old school record with 102 points in the win over Morehead State on Dec. 12. The previous record was 101, set on March 5, 1984. It's just the fourth time that Southern has cracked the century mark, and the second time during the Cindy Stein era. The +33 point margin of victory was the largest for SIU since a +33 win over Wichita State on March 3, 2007. The Salukis also had seven score in double figures- the first time that has happened dating back to the 1978-79 season.
CANT CHECK ME
Rishonda Napier has only been held scoreless once in her career- in a 77-64 loss to Indiana State her freshman year.
CORRIGAN PROVIDES BENCH DEPTH
Carlie Corrigan sits just one point from 200 for her career. She would become the 92nd Saluki to amass 200 points/100 rebounds. Corrigan, who has been the Salukis' sixth-man this season and is a team captain, has played 20 or more minutes in six of SIU's 16 games.
NAPIER MAKING HISTORY
The redshirt junior from Bolingbrook, Calif. joined an exclusive club in the win over Drake on Jan. 1. Napier became the 24th Saluki, and third on the active roster, to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Napier is now one of eight active Valley student-athletes with 1,000 career points, joining teammates Cartaesha Macklin and Dyana Pierre, as well as Lizzy Wendell (Drake), Kenzie Williams (Missouri State), Sara Dickey (Evansville), Tyonna Snow (Missouri State) and Taylor Johnson (Loyola).
Napier needs just 13 steals to reach 100 and become the 10th Saluki, joining teammate Cartaesha Macklin, to score 1,000 points, snag 200 rebounds, dish out 200 assists and tally 100 steals.
Dyana Pierre has an outside chance of joining Napier and Macklin in that club, needing four assists and 14 steals to do so.
MACKLIN CLEANING THE GLASS
58 times in her storied career, including nine times this season, Cartaesha Macklin has grabbed five or more rebounds in a single game, including nine boards in the win over SEMO on Dec. 22. The Salukis are 7-2 this season when Macklin grabs 5+ rebounds.
FEWEST FOULS
Southern leads the Valley, and is 16th in the nation in committing the fewest personal fouls per game- averaging just 14.3 fouls per game. The Salukis were whistled for just nine fouls in the win over Drake on Jan. 1. That's the fewest they've been called for this season, and marks the third time in the Cindy Stein era the Salukis have been called for single-digit fouls, last accomplishing the feat on Feb. 22, 2015 against Wichita State.
MACKLIN AT THE STRIPE
Cartaesha Macklin leads the Valley, and is fourth in the nation, in free throw percentage, currently shooting at a 92.0% (46-of-50) clip.
Macklin passed Molly McDowell (1999-03) for most free throws made in a career with her 368th make in the win over Murray State on Dec. 2 and is 16th on the Valley's all-time list.
PIERRE RANKED NATIONALLY
Dyana Pierre leads the Valley in rebounds (183), rebounds per game (12.2) and offensive rebounds per game (5.0), and is currently top-10 in the nation in all three categories, including fourth in offensive rebounds. She ranks ninth in total rebounds and eighth in rebounds per game.
NEBO EMERGES AS FIFTH STARTER
The Salukis have used four different lineups this season, usually coinciding with which lineup gives SIU the best matchups for each opponent. Southern has used the same lineup for six-straight contests, with Kim Nebo emerging as a potential fifth starter. Nebo logged a career-high 31 minutes in the win over Drake, holding preseason MVC Player of the Year Lizzy Wendell to just three points on 1-of-13 shooting through three quarters, while setting new career-bests in rebounds (15), offensive rebounds (6), defensive rebounds (9) and assists (3).
She also recorded her first career double-double in the win over Bradley, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
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.
