Salukis return home for matchups versus Drake, UNI

Thursday, January 26

Carbondale, Ill.

6 PM

Southern Illinois University

Drake

Photo by: Dominic Hoscher

01/25/2023 | 10:29:00 | Women's Basketball

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By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois women's basketball team (7-10) is back home this week to host Drake (11-5) on Thursday and Northern Iowa (12-5) on Saturday.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

Thursday night's game between SIU and Drake will be televised on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. Trey Reamer will have the radio call on 95.1 Steve FM.
Saturday's game between SIU and Northern Iowa will be televised on ESPN3 at 2 p.m. Reamer will once again have the call on the radio on 95.1 Steve FM. Dominic Hoscher (play-by-play) and Mike Trude (analyst) will have the television call for both games.

QUICK HITS

The Salukis are now 7-10 overall and 4-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play. At home, SIU holds a record of 3-4.
Southern Illinois wrapped up a four-game road trip on Sunday at Belmont. Prior to the defeat against the Bruins, the Salukis earned a 81-73 victory at Murray State on Friday, Jan. 20.
Ashley Jones led the way for SIU in the win, scoring a team-high 20 points with six assists. Promise Taylor (13) and Jaidynn Mason (10) were the other two Salukis to score in double-figures.
The Salukis are seventh in the Valley heading into Thursday's game and are one of two teams to have a 4-4 Valley record (Murray State). Illinois State and UNI are the top two teams in the standings as both sit at 7-1 in conference play.
SIU has the third highest scoring offense in the league, averaging 71.2 points-per-game. The average ranks 82nd in the nation.
Southern Illinois is sixth in the Valley in field goal percentage (41%) and fifth in three point percentage (34%). At the free throw line, the Salukis are now shooting 68% this season.
SIU's 2.71 turnover margin is the second-best tally in the conference and ranks 85th in the country.
No team in the MVC averages more steals-per-game (10.18) than the Salukis. SIU is 45th in the nation in the category.
The Salukis are second in the conference and 40th in the NCAA in blocks-per-game at 4.41.
Southern Illinois' four-game homestand will be tied for its longest this season, as the Salukis will also play four consecutive games at home from Feb. 17 to Feb. 25.

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Ashley Jones is SIU's leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points-per-game. Jones is seventh in the conference in scoring and 11th in free throw percentage.
In 13 of her 16 games, Jones has scored in double-figures. The veteran guard has reached the 20-point plateau in four games this season, with a season-high 29 points coming against Chicago State on Dec. 1.
Quierra Love continues to thrive as the team's leading playmaker, averaging 4.1 assists-per-game, which ranks fifth in the Valley. Love's 2.2 assist/turnover ratio is second in the MVC and 50th in the NCAA, while her 2.2 steals are third in the league.
Laniah Randle is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.4 a game. Promise Taylor is second on the team with an average of 6.0, while her 2.4 blocks-per-game lead both the team and conference.
Taylor is 14th in the NCAA in terms of blocks-per-game.
Jaidynn Mason is second on the team and fourth in the MVC in steals-per-game at 1.7.

LOOKING AT DRAKE

The Bulldogs are heading into Thursday night's matchup with a record of 11-5 overall and 6-2 in the Valley. Their three-game winning streak is tied for their longest this season.
During its winning streak, Drake is out-scoring its opponents, 233-167, and have allowed exactly 51 points in each of its last two games.
Drake is coming off of a 84-51 win over Valparaiso in its last game on Saturday, Jan. 21. The 33-point margin of victory is the Bulldogs' second largest this season, and largest since their 97-60 win over Howard on Nov. 27.
Two of Drake's losses have come against ranked opposition. The Bulldogs fell to No. 4 Iowa, 92-86, in overtime on Nov. 13 and lost, 75-71, at No. 18 Creighton on Dec. 10. In their other game against a ranked opponent, the Bulldogs defeated No. 22 Nebraska, 80-62, on Nov. 19.
Drake is currently third in the Valley and are one game behind both Illinois State and UNI. At 81.6 points-per-game, the Bulldogs are the conference's highest scoring team and are the 14th highest scoring team in the country.
The Bulldogs have five different players averaging double-figures, with Maggie Bair's 15.5 points-per-game leading the way. Bair is also the team's leading rebounder at 8.3 rebounds-per-game.
Drake is 65-30 all-time against the Salukis, but SIU has won the last two games between the two programs. The Bulldogs had previously been on a 12-game winning streak against the Salukis prior to last season's two meetings.

LOOKING AT NORTHERN IOWA

The Panthers enter the week with a 12-5 record and 7-1 conference record. UNI has won four consecutive games, its longest winning streak of the season.
Northern Iowa will be away from home for each of its two games this week, traveling to Missouri State on Thursday night prior to visiting SIU on Saturday.
The Panthers have scored at least 70 points in each of their last four games and in 12 games this season. UNI is 10-2 when reaching the 70-point plateau.
In their last game, the Panthers cruised to a 79-44 victory over UIC on Saturday, Jan. 21. Northern Iowa has won by at least 31 points in each of its last two games.
UNI is second in the MVC behind Illinois State, as both teams are 7-1 in conference play, but the Redbirds have the edge in terms of overall record at 13-5.
Northern Iowa ranks second in the Valley in scoring offense, averaging 74.8 points-per-game.
Two Panthers are averaging north of 14.0 points-per-game. Grace Boffeli leads the way at 15.8, while Maya McDermot's 14.2 are second on the team.
Boffeli also is both the team and MVC's leader in rebounding, averaging 8.5 rebounds-per-game.
The Panthers are 29-6 all-time against SIU, but lost their last meeting against the Salukis, 64-60, on Feb. 11, 2022.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_WBasketball, on Instagram at @SIU_WBasketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.