Salukis conclude regular season at UNI, Drake in Iowa

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (11-16) is heading to Iowa this week to take on Northern Iowa on Thursday and Drake on Saturday in its final two games of the regular season.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

Thursday's game will tip-off at 6 p.m. CT in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on ESPN+. The game will be broadcasted on 95.1 Steve FM with Trey Reamer on the call.
On Saturday, tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT in Des Moines, Iowa, on ESPN3. This game will also be on 95.1 Steve FM with Reamer again on the call.

QUICK HITS

SIU has won two straight games, improving its record 11-16 overall and 8-10 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Salukis have won two consecutive games for the third time this season and for the first time since they won three straight from Dec. 29 to Jan. 5. SIU has out-scored its opponents, 184-123, over its last two games.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Salukis are in seventh place in the Valley, sharing the 8-10 conference record with sixth-place UIC. SIU is two games ahead of Murray State and Evansville, who are both 6-12 in MVC play and are in eighth and ninth place.
SIU can finish anywhere from the sixth to ninth spots. A win against either UNI or Drake would secure either a sixth or seventh place finish.
Southern Illinois was dominant in its last game, defeating Evansville, 105-59, on Saturday. The 46-point win is the second largest this season for the Salukis, and largest since they beat Chicago State by a final score of 115-57 (58 points) on Dec. 1.
This was the third time this season SIU reached 100 points in a game. The Salukis had zero 100-point games in the previous two seasons combined, and the three 100-point games are the most the program has had in one season in over 20 years.
The Salukis had a season-high 12 blocks and a tied for season-high 33 assists in their win over Evansville. Promise Taylor led the way with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks while Quierra Love had 10 points and 11 assists.
SIU is third in the Valley and tied for 44th in the nation in scoring, averaging 73.6 points-per-game.
The Salukis rank fourth in the MVC in both field-goal percentage (.428) and three-point percentage (.341).
Southern is second in the conference and 21st in the NCAA in blocks-per-game (4.85). In terms of steals, no team in the MVC is averaging more than the Salukis (9.96). The average ranks 29th in the country.
The Salukis are also second in the Valley and 43rd in the nation in assists-per-game (15.74).

HISTORIC PERFORMANCE

Promise Taylor became the first Saluki ever to drop a triple-double with blocks on Saturday. This is also the first time the feat has been accomplished in Missouri Valley Conference history.
Taylor is the third player in all of Division I basketball (men or women) to drop a triple-double with blocks this season. The only other two players to do this are Saint Louis' Brooke Flowers and Stanford's Cameron Brink.
The center leads the conference and is tied for fifth in the NCAA in blocks-per-game (3.0). Taylor's 82 total blocks are tied for the most in a single-season in program history.

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Ashley Jones' 17.2 points-per-game are a team-high and are fourth in the conference. Jones is also seventh in three-point percentage (.362) and three-pointers made-per-game (2.0), and sixth in assists-per-game (4.0).
After another 20-point outing on Saturday, Jones has now tallied at least 20 points in 12 games this season, as well as in three consecutive games.
Quierra Love is fourth in the conference in assists-per-game (4.2) and is first in assist/turnover ratio (2.6). Love is ninth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio.
Both Love and Jaidynn Mason are top five in the MVC in steals-per-game. The junior is third (2.0), while Mason is fifth (1.7).
Laniah Randle's 6.4 rebounds-per-game lead the team and are 13th in the conference.

LOOKING AT NORTHERN IOWA

The Panthers hold a record of 19-8 overall and 14-4 in conference play heading into the week.
UNI is currently in fourth place in the Valley, sharing the same MVC record as third place Missouri State. Both teams are one game back of first place Illinois State (5-3), as well as second place Belmont. The Panthers can finish anywhere from first to fourth.
Northern Iowa is looking for its second consecutive 20-win season. The program won 23 games in 2021-22.
The Panthers earned a 30-point win over Murray State in their last game on Saturday, Feb. 25, with the final score being 76-46. Grace Boffeli (18) and Maya McDermott (13) both scored in double-figures. Boffeli also had 11 rebounds in the win.
UNI is second in the Valley and 40th in the NCAA in scoring, averaging 74.4 points-per-game. In terms of scoring defense, the Panthers are third in the MVC, allowing 64.4 points-per-game.
Boffeli leads the team in scoring, tallying 16.2 points-per-game. The sophomore forward also leads the MVC in rebounding and ranks 58th nationally, averaging 8.9 rebounds-per-game.
Northern Iowa holds the series edge over SIU, having a record of 47-36. This will be the 83rd meeting all-time and the second this season, with the Panthers defeating the Salukis, 94-81, on Jan. 28 in Carbondale. Ashley Jones' 22 points led the way for Southern in the loss, while Emerson Green's 26 points paced the Panthers.

LOOKING AT DRAKE

Drake is 17-9 on the year and is 12-6 in conference play.
The Bulldogs are fifth in the MVC and are two games back of fourth place UNI and two games ahead of sixth place UIC. Drake can finish either fourth or fifth in the Valley based on this week's results.
Drake had its three-game winning streak snapped in its last game on Saturday, Jan. 25, when it fell to Belmont, 83-77, on the road. The Bulldogs trailed, 49-35, at the half, but out-scored the Bruins, 42-34, in the second half.
Katie Dinnebier's 24 points led the way for Drake in the loss.
The Bulldogs are first in the Valley and 14th in the nation in terms of scoring offense (78.5 points-per-game).
No team in the MVC has a stronger field-goal percentage (.470) this season. The percentage ranks 11th nationally.
Drake also leads the conference in blocks (5.77) and assists (20.69). The Bulldogs are top five in the country in both categories.
Maggie Bair is the team's leading scorer, averaging 16.1 points-per-game. Bair is also third in the MVC in rebounding (8.3) and first in field-goal percentage (.619).
Drake is 66-30 all-time against Southern Illinois. The Bulldogs won the previous matchup, 87-73, in Carbondale on Jan. 26, with Bair and Sarah Beth Gueldner's 19 points leading the way. Jones posted a career-high 30 points in the loss.

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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Ashley Jones

Quierra Love

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