Preview | Southern Illinois Set to Host Saint Louis on Saturday

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (4-4) will play its final home game before Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 4 p.m. against Saint Louis at the Banterra Center.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

To watch Saturday's game, tune into ESPN+ at 4 p.m. Dominic Hoscher (play-by-play), Mike Trude (analyst), and Samantha Dodd (sideline) will be on the call.
Larry Larson will have the radio call on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM.

SANTA AT SATURDAY'S GAME

Santa will be making an appearance at Saturday's game. He will be stationed at the Charles Helleny Pavilion one hour before tip-off, and will be handing out candy, toys, and Christmas ornaments.

QUICK HITS

After beginning the year 1-3, SIU has gotten hot lately, winning three of its last four games. The Salukis have allowed, on average, 58.3 points-per-game during this stretch. In the three wins, Southern has allowed 52, 55, and 53 points respectively.
Southern Illinois defeated SIUE in its last game, 77-53, on Wednesday. The Salukis out-scored the Cougars in all four quarters, and shot 43.8% from the field, 40% from deep, and 68% at the line.
In the win, the Salukis forced 27 turnovers. This marks the fourth time this season SIU has forced at least 26 turnovers, and the most since it forced a season-high 29 on Nov. 23 vs. Charlotte.
Laniah Randle is on the tear of her career. Randle, who is the first Saluki to receive MVC Player of the Week honors since Abby Brockmeyer did on Feb. 21, 2022, has scored at least 20 points in four-straight games. The junior has also posted back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in her career.
SIU is sixth in the Valley entering Saturday's game. Illinois State is first at 6-2.
As a team, Southern is averaging 69.0 points-per-game, which ranks seventh in the Valley. In terms of scoring defense, SIU is fourth at 66.5 points-per-game allowed.
SIU is third in the Valley in turnover margin (4.00) and is forcing 21.6 turnovers-per-game, the 29th best average in the NCAA.
Southern Illinois is top five in the MVC in steals, assists, and blocks so far this season. SIU is third in steals (11.50), fifth in blocks (3.13), and fourth in assists (14.88).
The Salukis are tied for 30th in the country in steals-per-game.

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Laniah Randle is second in the conference in scoring at 17.5 points-per-game, which is tied for 69th in the nation. The junior forward has scored in double-figures in seven of her eight games this season.
Randle is also second in the Valley in rebounding (9.0). The average is tied for 57th in the NCAA. Randle has also posted three double-doubles on the season, tied for 39th in the nation.
Jaidynn Mason has played in three games for SIU so far in 2023-24, averaging 12.7 points, 2.7 steals, and 2.7 assists-per-game. Mason, who had missed the previous five games, made her return for SIU on Wednesday. This was the sophomore's first appearance since Nov. 11 vs. Cornell.
Quierra Love is second in the MVC in steals-per-game (2.8), which also ranks 43rd in the NCAA. Love has posted two or more steals in five games, but did not have a steal vs. SIUE. This was the first time this season the senior went an entire game without posting a steal.
Love is fifth on the team in scoring at 8.5 points-per-game, and leads the team in assists-per-game (4.8). The assists average is third in the MVC and is tied for 62nd in the nation.
Seairra Hughes is fourth in the Valley in field-goal percentage (.552), and has shot at least 50% from the field in five of eight games. Hughes is also averaging 11.1 points-per-game, and has scored at least 10 points in five games.
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 SAINT LOUIS

Saint Louis heads into Carbondale with a record of 5-5 overall, and is 4-2 at home. Away from home, SLU is 1-3. The Billikens are 0-1 in true road games and are 1-2 in games held at a neutral venue.
In its last game, SLU snapped a two-game losing skid with a dominant 89-53 victory on Wednesday. Kyla McMakin's 27 points paced the Billikens in the win.
The Billikens are ninth in the Atlantic 10 heading into Saturday's game. Davidson is first at 8-1 overall and 1-0 in A-10 play.
McMakin leads SLU in scoring at 17.1 points-per-game. The guard has scored at least 22 points in back-to-back games, and has scored 20+ points in four games total.
Saint Louis is led by head coach Rebecca Tillett, who is in her second year at the helm of the program.

SERIES HISTORY

The Salukis are 13-10 all-time vs. the Billikens. This will be the 24th meeting between SIU and SLU.
Southern is 7-3 vs. Saint Louis in Carbondale. The last time they met at SIU was in Nov. 2019.

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.

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