Salukis travel to NIU for Compass Challenge

The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team will host the second-annual Compass Challenge beginning on Thursday, Dec. 19. The two-day tournament will pit the four Illinois directional schools- Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Illinois, against one another in the annual mid-season tournament. The two-day event is reminiscent of the days of the IAIAW when programs in Illinois battled it out for an Illinois state championship before advancing to Regionals. SIU takes on Western Illinois on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 4:30 p.m.

Reigning Champs

Last season, the Salukis defeated Eastern and Northern Illinois en route to being crowned the inaugural Compass Challenge champions.
SIU shot a season-best 46.7% (14-of-30) from three-point range in the win over Northern- which were the most treys in a game in the Cindy Stein era and SIU's most since a January 5, 2013 win over Drake. Southern followed with a wire-to-wire win over Eastern.
Makenzie Silvey, who averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in SIU's two wins, was named Tournament MVP while Abby Brockmeyer and Kristen Nelson each earned spots on the Compass Challenge All-Tournament Team.
It marked the first mid-season tournament title for the Salukis since the 1986-87 team won the Dial Classic in San Diego, Calif.

20 point games through 9 games

Makenzie Silvey recorded her fifth 20-point game in what was SIU's ninth game of the season- a 76-66 win over Murray State.
Silvey is the third Saluki in program history, and first since Amy Rakers during the 1990-91 season, to record five 20 point games in the first nine games of a season. Petra Jackson (1984) is the other to do so.
Salukis improved to 4-1 when Silvey goes for 20-plus points and are 2-0 this season when two Salukis score 20-plus.
Silvey and Nicole Martin both have now scored 20-plus points in 10 career games- which makes them the 18th and 19th Salukis in program history to have double-digit 20-plus point games in a career.

Guard Duo

Kristen Nelson and Brittney Patrick each dished out a season-high six assists in the win over Murray State on Sunday.
In doing so, they became the first Saluki tandem since Dec. 19, 2000 to record six assists in the same game. Holly Teague (7), Molly McDowell (6) vs. UT Martin (12/19/00)

Homecoming

Brittney Patrick went to DeKalb High School for her freshman and sophomore seasons before transferring to Bolingbrook H.S. (50 mins southeast)
With her two steals against Murray State, Patrick became the 30th player in program history to reach the century mark in career steals.
Patrick ranks 13th in school history in career assists (294) and with six assists will become just the 13th player in program history with 300 assists/100 steals in a career.

Consistency is key

Makenzie Silvey scored 20 points in SIU's win over Murray State on Sunday. It marked her fifth 20-point game of the season and it was the 19th-straight game in which the Glen Carbon, Ill. native has reached double figures.
Silvey's consecutive games in double figures streak is the longest by a Saluki since 1991, when Amy Rakers capped off a school-record run of 58-straight games in which she scored in double-digits from 1989 to 1991.
Silvey is just five three-pointers shy of becoming the seventh Saluki with 150 career treys.

Most consecutive games scoring in double figures
Amy Rakers - 58-straight (1989-91)
Petra Jackson - 23-straight (1985-86)
Charr Warring - 22-straight (1983-84)
Makenzie Silvey - 19-straight (2019-20)

Non-conference winning record

With Southern's 76-66 win over Murray State on Sunday, the Salukis clinched a winning record in non-conference play.
It marks the second-straight season, and the fifth time in head coach Cindy Stein's seven-year tenure, that the Salukis will enter conference play with a winning record.

December is our favorite month

SIU went 4-0 last season in the month of December- which marked just the third perfect December in school history and first since 1987.
Southern has won eight of its last nine games in the month of December.
The Salukis are 23-15 (.605) all-time in the month of December under seventh-year head coach Cindy Stein.

All-Time vs. the Leathernecks

The Salukis and the Leathernecks meet for the 44th time in a series that dates back to the 1962-63 season.
The two Illinois state schools last met on the hardwood in 2016, when the two programs tangled in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational tournament. The Leathernecks won the last meeting, 99-97 in overtime on a last second buzzer-beating layup.
The Salukis have won 20 of the last 21 meetings between the two programs dating back to 1982.

SIU vs. The Summit League (WIU)

The Salukis are 1-6 all-time against Summit League schools since the conference formed in 2007.
Southern's lone win over a Summit League school coming on Dec. 8, 2011, a 77-63 win over IUPUI in Carbondale, Ill. The Jaguars left the league in 2017.
SIU last faced a Summit League opponent during the 2016-17 season, when Southern fell to South Dakota, 68-57 at the UMKC Tournament.
Coach Stein is 2-5 all-time against Summit League opponents.

All-time vs. the Huskies

Northern Illinois holds a 14-12 advantage over Southern in an all-time series that dates back to 1965.
SIU snapped a five-game losing streak to NIU last year with an 82-73 win over the Huskies to open the inaugural Compass Challenge. Before last season, the Salukis hadn't beat the Huskies since 1994.
SIU is 3-7 against Northern in DeKalb, with Southern's last win at NIU coming on Feb. 27, 1982- an 88-76 win.
The last five meetings between the two schools have been decided by nine points or fewer.

SIU vs. the MAC (NIU)

Southern's record is 19-16 all-time when facing MAC programs. NIU left the MAC from 1986-97 and the two programs faced nine times during that period (3-6).
SIU has won two-straight over MAC opponents, which included an 85-54 win over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 23.
Stein is 10-2 in her career against MAC opponents including a 2-0 record against NIU.

All-time vs. the Panthers

The Salukis hold a commanding 38-6 all-time series lead over the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
Southern has won eight-straight in the series, and 10 of the last 11 meetings dating back to 1989. SIU defeated Eastern, 73-59 a year ago to win.
An EIU/SIU matchup would mark just the third all-time on a neutral floor- Southern last beat Eastern at a neutral site- a 69-60 win at the Lady Tiger Classic in Memphis, Tenn. on Nov. 28, 1983.

SIU vs. the Ohio Valley Conference (EIU)

The Salukis are 4-1 this season against Ohio Valley Conference opponents and have won seven of their last eight meetings against OVC programs.
Southern will play at least five OVC schools this season (with a potential of a sixth, EIU, depending on the results of the Compass Challenge).
In 196 lifetime meetings against OVC schools, the Salukis sport a .728 winning percentage (143-53).
Coach Stein is 31-13 all-time against OVC schools during her 21 seasons as a head coach and sports a .500 or better career record against six OVC schools including a 5-0 lifetime record against Eastern Illinois.

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Abby Brockmeyer

Nicole Martin

Kristen Nelson

Brittney Patrick

Makenzie Silvey

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