Salukis head to Illinois State, Bradley for weekend road trip

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (8-13) will head back on the road this weekend for a pair of games against Illinois State (17-5) and Bradley (3-20).

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

Friday's game at Illinois State will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN3. Scott Sudikoff (play-by-play) and Sean Johnson (analyst) will have the television call. The game will also be on 95.1 Steve FM, with Trey Reamer having the radio call.
On Sunday, SIU's game against Bradley will begin at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Reamer will have the radio call on 95.1 Steve FM.

QUICK HITS

The Salukis hold a record of 8-13 overall and 5-7 in Missouri Valley Conference play heading into the weekend.
Southern Illinois is in eighth place in the Valley, and is one of three teams to be 5-7 in league play (UIC, Evansville).
SIU is coming off of a well-rounded victory in its last game, defeating Valparaiso, 77-47, last Saturday. The 30-point differential is the second largest in a win this season (won by 58 vs. Chicago State on Dec. 1). The 47 points allowed are the fewest Southern has given up in a game this season.
Both Ashley Jones and Promise Taylor scored 19 points in the win, while Jaidynn Mason added on 17 points as the third Saluki to score in double figures.
This was the 11th time this season Southern Illinois has reached the 70-point plateau. The Salukis are 7-4 when scoring at least 70 points.
As a team, Southern is averaging 71.9 points-per-game, which ranks third in the Valley and 65th in the country.
The Salukis are fifth in the MVC in field-goal percentage (41.6%) and second in three-point percentage (33.6%). The latter ranks 81st in the NCAA.
Only Missouri State (16.8) is averaging more offensive rebounds than SIU (12.0) this season. The Salukis tallied 13 offensive rebounds in their win against Valparaiso.
On the defensive end, Southern Illinois leads the Valley in steals-per-game (10.38) and is second in blocks-per-game (4.57). In terms of steals, SIU is tied for 27th in the nation, while it is 34th in blocks.
Southern's average of 14.62 assists-per-game is fourth in the conference, and its 3.05 turnover margin is second.

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Ashley Jones leads the team and is fourth in the MVC with 16.3 points-per-game. Jones has scored in double figures in each of her last four games, and in 17 of 20 games played this season. The graduate student has reached the 20-point mark on seven separate occasions, including in four of her last six games.
Jones has scored 951 points in her collegiate career, needing just 49 to reach 1,000.
Promise Taylor leads the conference and is eighth in the NCAA with 2.7 blocks-per-game. Taylor's 56 total blocks are the most in a single season in program history.
Quierra Love is fifth in the MVC in assists-per-game (4.0) and second in assist/turnover ratio (2.2). Love is 47th in the country in assist/turnover ratio.
Love is also third in the league in steals-per-game (2.0), while Jaidynn Mason is fourth (1.9).
Laniah Randle is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.1 boards-per-game.

LOOKING AT ILLINOIS STATE

The Redbirds are first in the MVC with a 17-5 overall record and a 11-1 record in Valley action. Illinois State has won 10 games in a row, its longest winning streak of the season.
In its last game, Illinois State defeated Murray State, 79-73, at home on Sunday, Feb. 5. The Redbirds had four players score 10-plus points in the win, with Paige Robinson leading the way with a 24-point effort.
Illinois State is top five in both scoring offense and defense, ranking fourth in the MVC in points-per-game (68.7) and second in points allowed (60.3).
No team in the Valley has shot better from deep than the Redbirds, who have a three-point percentage of 38%. The percentage ranks eighth in the nation. Illinois State has also been strong against the three on the defensive end, allowing a league-best 27.9 three-point percentage on the year, which is 45th in the NCAA.
The Redbirds have made the most of their trips to the line this season, ranking second in the conference with a free throw percentage of 73.5%.
Robinson is second in the league and 31st in the nation in scoring, averaging 18.5 points-per-game. Her 34.2 minutes-per-game are also second in the MVC.
Mary Crompton is the league's leading three-point shooter, posting a three-point percentage of 46.3% on the year. Crompton is seventh in the country in the category.
The Salukis are 53-69 all-time against Illinois State, and have lost each of the last two meetings between the two programs. In their last meeting, the Redbirds earned a 59-56 win over the Salukis on Jan. 7 in Carbondale. Robinson's 15 points led all scorers in the game.

LOOKING AT BRADLEY

Bradley is 3-20 overall and 0-12 in conference play. The Braves are in 12th place in the Valley.
The Braves fell to Belmont, 68-54, in their last game on Sunday, Feb. 5. Caroline Waite led Bradley in scoring with 15 points in the loss.
Bradley has lost 15 consecutive games, with its last win coming on Dec. 6 against Eastern Illinois.
The Braves are seventh in the conference in free throw percentage at 70.3%.
Southern Illinois is 55-31 all-time against Bradley. Earlier this season, the Salukis defeated the Braves, 83-65, on Jan. 5. Laniah Randle posted a career-high 25 points in the win.

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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Players Mentioned

Ashley Jones

Quierra Love

Jaidynn Mason

Laniah Randle

Promise Taylor

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