Preview | Salukis Set to Face Charlotte on Thanksgiving to Begin San Juan Shootout

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (1-3) will kick-off the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico against Charlotte at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

The first game of the San Juan Shootout can be watched on FloHoops at 9 a.m. (CT).
To listen to Thursday's game, tune into NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM with Larry Larson doing the broadcasting duties.

QUICK HITS

Southern Illinois is in the midst of a three-game losing streak heading into the Thanksgiving trip to Puerto Rico.
In their last game, the Salukis fell to North Texas, 79-73, on Sunday. SIU shot 52.8% from the field, 28.6% from deep, and 46.4% at the line in the loss. Laniah Randle's 17 points on 8-of-8 shooting led the way for Southern in the loss.
Southern Illinois' 23 assists against the Mean Green were the most in a single game for SIU since the team had 33 vs. Evansville on Feb. 25, 2023. The Salukis had at least 23 assists in four games in all of 2022-23. Southern was 4-0 in those four games.
Through four games, SIU is fifth in the Valley in scoring at 74.8 points-per-game. The Salukis have reached the 70-point plateau in three of their four games to start the year.
As a team, the Salukis are shooting at an efficient 0.429 clip, which ranks fifth in the MVC.
SIU is third in the conference in turnover margin at 4.00. On the year, Southern has forced 90 turnovers and had 74.
The Salukis lead the Valley in steals-per-game (13.50). SIU has had at least 12 steals in every game so far this season. Nationally, Southern is tied for 14th in the category.
Southern Illinois is fourth in the conference in assists-per-game (18.25) and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.99).
Head coach Kelly Bond-White brings four newcomers into the 2023-24 season. Three of SIU's newcomers are freshmen (Tkiyah Nelson, Maddy Saracco, Angela Samuel), while its fourth is a transfer (Se'Quoia Allmond). Allmond comes to SIU after spending the last two seasons at Loyola Marymount University.

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Shemera Williams leads the Salukis and is tied for the conferecne lead in scoring at 19.0 points-per-game. Williams did not play in SIU's game against North Texas on Sunday.
Jaidynn Mason is the team's second-leading scorer with 15.5 points-per-game. Mason has also posted 3.5 steals-per-game in her two appearances this season.
Quierra Love leads the MVC in steals-per-game (3.3), which is also tied for 40th in the NCAA. Love has posted two or more steals in all four games, including six vs. SEMO in the season-opener.
After a perfect 8-for-8 day from the field on Sunday, Laniah Randle is now averaging 11.3 points-per-game on 55.6% shooting from the field, and a conference-high 9.3 rebounds-per-game. Randle has had 32 boards in her last three games. The forward is also seventh in the MVC in field-goal percentage.
Seairra Hughes is shooting a strong 56.3% from the field to go along with her 12.3 points-per-game and 7.3 rebounds-per-game. Against Purdue Fort Wayne, Hughes tallied her first-career double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds). In her last two games, Hughes has posted a total of 29 points and 20 rebounds.
The Salukis' roster is made up of four seniors, five juniors, one sophomore, and three freshmen. SIU's four seniors are Williams, Love, Adrianna Katcher, and Sydney Prochaska.

LOOKING AT CHARLOTTE

The 49ers have posted a record of 3-1 to start the year. At home, Charlotte is 3-0 while the team is 0-1 on the road.
Charlotte has won three consecutive games after dropping its season-opener to NC State on Nov. 7.
During their three-game winning streak, the 49ers are averaging 81.3 points-per-game and are allowing 43.0. Charlotte's wins have come against Tennessee State, UNC Asheville, and Gardner-Webb.
Dazia Lawrence has paced the 49ers in scoring to begin the season, averaging 16.0 points-per-game on 45.8% shooting from the field.
Cara Consuegra is the all-time winningest coach in program history. Consuegra has a record of 212- 155 in her 13 seasons at the helm of the program.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

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.

Calendar

Upcoming Events