Preview | Women's Basketball Faces Tough Road Test at Murray State on Friday

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (7-10, 2-5 MVC) is set to travel to Murray State on Friday night at 6 p.m. for a matchup against the Racers.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

To watch Friday night's game in Murray, tune into ESPN+ at 6 p.m., where Jeff Bidwell (play-by-play) and Burlin Brower (analyst) will have the call.
Tune into NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM to hear the radio call, with Larry Larson doing the broadcasting duties.

QUICK HITS

Southern Illinois improved its record to 7-10 overall and 2-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play after defeating Evansville, 99-60, on Sunday.
The 99 points are a new season-high and the most SIU has scored in a game since Feb. 25, 2023, when it posted 105 points against the Purple Aces. The Salukis shot 52.8% from the field, 45.0% from deep, and 77.8% at the free throw line in the win.
Five different players scored in double-figures for the Salukis, with Laniah Randle's 23 points leading the way. Paige Clubb (18), Jaidynn Mason (14), Seairra Hughes (12), and Quierra Love (11) all scored over 10 points on Sunday.
SIU is eighth in scoring offense, averaging 67.0 points-per-game. On the other side, Southern ranks third in scoring defense, allowing an average of 67.2 points-per-game.
The Salukis lead the Valley and are tied for 24th in the nation in turnovers forced-per-game (20.82).
The Salukis have allowed the fewest three-pointers in the league at 68. Missouri State, 90, is second on the list. SIU is also second in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.292) behind Belmont.
Southern Illinois is second in the MVC and tied for 50th in the country in turnover margin (4.00).
SIU leads the Valley and is 13th in the NCAA in steals-per-game (11.9).

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Laniah Randle is third in the MVC in scoring (17.9), third in rebounding (8.8), ninth in field goal percentage (.504), tied for sixth in total blocks (16), and is fourth in total steals (37). Randle had her ninth 20-point game of the season on Sunday. In those games, SIU is 5-4.
Randle is 58th in the NCAA in points, 67th in rebounds, and ninth in offensive rebounds-per-game (4.2). The junior forward also has seven double-doubles on the year, which is tied for 38th in the country.
In all of 2022-23, SIU had six total double-doubles. The Salukis already have nine as a team this season. Randle has provided seven of them, while Hughes has the other two.
Jaidynn Mason is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.7 points to go along with 3.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.7 steals-per-game. Mason posted her sixth game with 10+ points on Sunday, scoring 14 on 6-of-10 shooting from the field.
Quierra Love is second in the MVC and is tied for 52nd in the NCAA in steals-per-game (2.41). Love has posted two or more steals in nine games, and has at least four steals in five games. The senior is now eighth all-time in career steals (175) at SIU, and is two away from tying D.D. Plab for seventh in program history.
Love is tied for fifth in the Valley in assists-per-game (4.1), and is tied for seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.6).
Seairra Hughes is tied for ninth in the MVC in blocks, with 14 on the year. Hughes has had multiple blocks in five games this season.
The Salukis' roster is made up of three seniors, five juniors, one sophomore, and three freshmen. SIU's three seniors are Love, Adrianna Katcher, and Sydney Prochaska.

LOOKING AT MURRAY STATE

The Racers are currently fourth in the MVC with a record of 5-2 in league play and are 12-4 overall.
Murray State has fallen in back-to-back games at Northern Iowa and Drake. The Racers allowed an average of 101.0 points in the two losses.
At Drake on Sunday, Katelyn Young paced the Racers with 29 points, her third highest point total in a game this season.
No team in the MVC is averaging more points than Murray State (91.6). The Racers rank second in the nation in scoring.
Young's 18.8 points-per-game leads the Valley and is tied for 34th in the NCAA.
Rechelle Turner is Murray State's head coach, and is in her seventh season in the role.

SERIES HISTORY

The Salukis are 41-6 all-time vs. Murray State, and have won six of the last seven meetings.
This will be the 48th 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.

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