Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
SIUE
Women's Basketball set to travel to SIUE on Wednesday
11/22/2016 | 4:49:00 | Women's Basketball
Wednesday's meeting will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the sister schools.
| SIUC (2-1) at SIUE (0-3) | |
| Date | Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016 |
| Time | 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | Edwardsville, Ill. / Vadalabene Center |
| Game Notes | Southern Illinois |
| Video | OVC Digital Network |
| Radio | Saluki All-Access |
| Live Stats | SIUECougars.com |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Media Guide | SIU Media Guide |
| Social Media | @SIU_WBasketball |
The Southern Illinois women's basketball team is set to travel to Edwardsville, Ill. to take on the SIUE Cougars on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. Fans can tune into WVZA 105.1 FM starting at 6:40 p.m. for game coverage, while the game can be viewed on the OVC Digital Network.Â
Series History
SIU leads the all-time series, 3-1 dating back to the 1975 season. The Salukis hadn't played the Cougars since 1975, before renewing the rivalry on Dec. 3, 2011. SIU won the last meeting between the two schools,a 71-57 victory a year ago at the SIU Arena.
Last Time
SIU 71, SIUE 57
Four Salukis scored in double figures as the Southern Illinois University women's basketball team coasted past sister school SIU-Edwardsville, 71-57. The Salukis were led in scoring by Rishonda Napier, who finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Celina VanHyfte established a new career-high with 11 points, while Kylie Giebelhausen (11) and Cartaesha Macklin (10) also scored in double figures. Dyana Pierre narrowly missed her third double-double of the season, tallying nine points and 13 boards.
SIU vs. the OVC
The Salukis play four OVC schools this season, and in 174 lifetime meetings against OVC schools, the Salukis sport a .729 winning percentage (127-47).Â
Scouting the Cougars
The Cougars were picked to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference after advancing to the OVC Tournament semifinals for the second straight year. Three starters return from that squad, led by redshirt junior Lauren White. White is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.7 points through the first three games of the season. Nakiah Bell leads the Cougars in scoring with a 10.3 points per game average. The Cougars have lost three-straight, most recently falling 90-49 at St. Louis on Nov. 17. SIUE's first loss of the season came at the hands of South Dakota, a team that the Salukis will take on at the UMKC Tournament on Dec. 20.
Power 5 Conference win
The Salukis went 2-0 this past week, beginning with a 70-63 win over Murray State. Southern followed with a 64-61 win at Purdue, a win that snapped several long streaks. The win at Purdue marked SIU's first win in West Lafayette, Ind. since 1980, and the Salukis first win over a Big Ten school since 1993. 1993 also marked the last time SIU beat a school from a Power 5 conference, as Southern defeated Arizona State, 73-57 on Dec. 20, 1993.
Cleaning the Glass
Even though the Salukis graduated the program's all-time leading rebounder, Dyana Pierre, SIU continues to show a knack for cleaning the glass. Freshman Lauren Hartman is a big reason why, as she currently leads the Missouri Valley Conference with an 11.7 rebounds per game average, including a career-best 16 boards against the Purdue Boilermakers. Hartman became just the 24th Saluki to post 15+ rebounds in a single game, doing so in only her third collegiate game.
Speaking of Pierre
Pierre is currently playing in the highest tier of professional women's basketball in Finland, as her Äänekosken Huima (pronounced A-no-co-skin Who-eh-ma) are 4-5 in nine games. She's averaging the 20th-most points (12.67 points/game) in the league through nine games, and is currently eighth in the league in rebounding (9.7 rebounds/game).
The Rise of Nebo
Kim Nebo continues to impress through the first three games of the 2016-17 season. The senior from Katy, Texas notched her third career double-double in SIU's win over Murray State. She finished with a career-high 17 points and added 11 rebounds in the victory, Southern's 12th-straight win at home over the Racers. She followed with 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals in Southern's 64-61 win over Purdue on Sunday and already has as many points this season as she did through eight games a year ago.
Scoring Record
SIU's career scoring record may once again be in jeopardy. Cartaesha Macklin broke the school record last season, and Rishonda Napier may pass her during the 2016-17 season. Napier is in eighth on SIU's career scoring list, needing 430 points in her final season wearing the maroon and white to pass her former teammate for tops on the all-time list.
Picked to finish fourth
SIU was picked to finish fourth in the MVC, marking the first time in 18 years (1996-97, 1997-98) that SIU has been picked in the top-half of the annual poll in back-to-back seasons.
Giving the Green Light
Head coach Cindy Stein has shown a willingness to give her open shooters the green light to try from the outside, with the Salukis taking 21 first-half three-pointers in the season opener at Oklahoma. That's the most in a first half since at least 2000. SIU, which set school records in three-pointers made and three-pointers attempted in a single season last year, attempted 30 three-pointers in the loss at No. 16 Oklahoma. That marked the most three-pointers attempted in a game since Dec. 12, 2015.
