Preview | Southern Illinois Continues Valley Play on Thursday Against UIC

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (5-6, 0-1 MVC) is looking to get back-on-track on Thursday when it hosts UIC at 6 p.m. at the Banterra Center.

GAME PROMOTION

On Thursday, it will be Reading Program Night at Banterra. Kids who completed the Saluki Athletics Reading Program received free tickets to the game.
Fans can also get one slice of pizza (while supplies last) for just $1 at the game.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

To watch SIU's game against UIC, tune into ESPN+ at 6 p.m. Dominic Hoscher (play-by-play) and Mike Trude (analyst) will have the call.
Larry Larson will have the radio call on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM.

QUICK HITS

Southern Illinois holds a record of 5-6 overall and 0-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play as the calendar flips over to 2024.
The Salukis fell to Drake, 78-59, in their MVC opener on Saturday, Dec. 30. Quierra Love's 12 points and four steals led SIU in the loss.
In the defeat, Southern forced 28 turnovers. This was the sixth time this season the Salukis have forced over 20 turnovers, and was the second-most turnovers forced in a game this year (29 vs. Charlotte, Nov. 23).
The Salukis lead the Valley and are 30th in the nation in turnovers forced-per-game (20.9).
Both SIU and UIC started off 0-1 in conference play, placing the two sides in seventh and eighth place, with the Flames one spot ahead of the Salukis.
Southern Illinois is sixth in scoring offense, averaging 67.6 points-per-game. Defensively, Southern is fifth in the MVC (68.5).
The Salukis have allowed the fewest three-pointers in the league at 44. This is 11 fewer than Missouri State's 55, which is the second fewest in the MVC. SIU is also second in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.286) behind Belmont.
Southern Illinois is second in the conference in turnover margin (2.91).
SIU ranks second in the MVC and 33rd in the country in steals-per-game (11.2). The Salukis are also fifth in the MVC in blocks-per-game (2.82).

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Laniah Randle is off to the best start of her Saluki career in 2023-24. Randle is fourth in the MVC in points (17.0), first in rebounds (8.9), tied for ninth in field goal percentage (.500), tied for fifth in total blocks (10), and seventh in total steals (22). Randle is also five points away from scoring 500 in her career.
On the NCAA leaderboards, Randle is tied for 76th in scoring, tied for 55th in rebounding, and tied for 40th in double-doubles (five). The junior forward had posted a double-double in four consecutive games prior to Saturday's game against Drake, where she finished with 11 points and five boards.
In all of 2022-23, SIU had six total double-doubles. The Salukis already have seven as a team this season. Randle has provided five of them, while Hughes has the other two.
Jaidynn Mason has played in five games for SIU so far in 2023-24, averaging 14.6 points, 2.4 steals, and 2.8 assists-per-game. Mason has scored in double-figures in three of five games. The sophomore did not play vs. Drake due to an illness.
Quierra Love is third in the MVC in steals-per-game (2.5), which is also tied for 59th in the NCAA. Love has posted two or more steals in six games, and had at least four steals in a game for the third time this season in her last game. All-time, Love is now 10th in career steals (161) at SIU.
Love is fifth in the Valley in assists-per-game (4.2), and is tied for eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
Seairra Hughes is shooting .506 from the field, and has shot at least 50% from the field in seven of 11 games. Hughes is also averaging 10.4 points-per-game, and has scored at least 10 points in six games. The junior's 6.1 rebounds-per-game is 17th in the Valley.
The Salukis' roster is made up of four seniors, five juniors, one sophomore, and three freshmen. SIU's four seniors are Love, Shemera Williams, Adrianna Katcher, and Sydney Prochaska.

LOOKING AT UIC

The Flames hold a record of 7-5 overall and 0-1 in MVC play. They are 3-4 in away games this season.
UIC came up short in its conference opener at Belmont on Dec. 30, losing by a final score of 69-61. Keimari Rimmer's 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting led the way for the Flames in the loss.
The Flames are fourth in both scoring offense (74.5) and scoring defense (67.8) in the Valley.
UIC is spearheaded by the trio of Rimmer, Makiyah Williams, and Dais'Ja Trotter. All three players are averaging around 12 points-per-game, with Williams' 12.8 average leading the way.
Ashleen Bracey is in her second season leading the Flames, and has an overall record of 26-22.

SERIES HISTORY

The Salukis are 12-5 all-time vs. UIC. This will be the 18th meeting between the two programs.
UIC snapped a five-game losing streak against SIU last season, defeating Southern, 65-62, on Jan. 14, 2023. Josie Filer led the Flames with 22 points, while Ashley Jones had 19 for the Salukis.

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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