Preview | Women's Basketball to Visit IU Indy on Saturday - Southern Illinois University Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (0-3) is looking to snap a three-game losing skid on Saturday when it travels to IU Indy to face the Jaguars at 4 p.m.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

To watch Saturday's game, tune into ESPN+ at 4 p.m. (CT).
Larry Larson will have the radio call on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM.

QUICK HITS

After suffering a 79-66 loss to Louisiana Monroe on Wednesday night, the Salukis head to IU Indy with a record of 0-3.
Despite the loss, SIU had an efficient night in terms of shooting, posting a field-goal percentage of 43.4%, a three-point percentage of 53.3%, and a free throw percentage of 70.59%. Southern scored a season-high 28 points in the third quarter, the most points the team has scored in a quarter since Jan. 21, 2024, vs. Evansville when SIU also posted 28 points in the third quarter in a 99-60 win.
Four different Salukis scored in double figures, as Gift Uchenna had 16, Tyranny Brown had 14, Kayla Cooper had 12, and Isabella Palmqvist had 11.
Southern Illinois has held its three opponents to an average of 71.3 points-per-game, which ranks ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference.
SIU is tied for third in the league in blocks (10) and is fourth in steals (21).
The Salukis rank 12th in scoring offense, averaging 48.7 points-per-game.
In the MVC Preseason Poll, Southern was picked to finish 10th out of 12 teams. SIU received a total of 167 points in the poll. Drake was voted to finish first with 566 points and 39 first-place votes.
Southern Illinois is looking to get off to a quicker start on Saturday vs. IU Indy. Through three games, the Salukis are averaging 8.7 points in first quarters. In first halves, SIU is averaging 21.3 points.
The strongest quarter of the season for Southern so far has been the third, as it is averaging 16.3 points after the halftime break.
Kelly Bond-White is in her third season in Carbondale and has a record of 23-42. The lone new faces on the coaching staff are Greg Brown (assistant coach) and Peyton Thevenot (graduate assistant).

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Gift Uchenna led the way for SIU in its loss to ULM, scoring 16 points with five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in just 16 minutes. Uchenna has now tallied two blocks in all three games, and her six total blocks are tied for second in the MVC and 42nd in the NCAA.
Isabella Palmqvist has scored in double figures in back-to-back games, going 4-of-6 from deep during that span. Palmqvist is in her first season as a Saluki, coming from Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kayla Cooper, who missed the home opener vs. EKU due to illness, has been SIU's second-leading scorer to begin the year, averaging 9.0 points in two games. Cooper is 5-of-7 from three-point range in her two appearances, ranking second in the MVC in three-point percentage and is tied for fifth in three-pointers made.
Tyranny Brown had her strongest performance of the early part of the season on Wednesday, scoring 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, 2-of-5 shooting from deep, and was 4-of-4 at the free throw line. The 14 points for Brown were her most since scoring 15 vs. Kent State on Nov. 27, 2022.
Tkiyah Nelson has been active on both ends to begin the year, averaging 5.3 points to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals-per-game. Nelson's seven total steals are tied for second in the Valley.
Alice Curman has now made three starts as Southern Illinois' point guard, averaging 4.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals-per-game. The freshman's 10 total assists are tied for seventh in the conference. Curman comes to SIU by way of Stockholm, Sweden.
The SIU roster consists of six freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors, two seniors, and one graduate student. Six of Southern's 14 players are from outside the United States, with three coming from Nigeria (Uchenna, Ternadoo Agatha Agba, and Angela Samuel), and the other from Montreal, Canada (Kelowna Ngoyi).

LOOKING AT IU INDY

The Jaguars are 1-2 through three games after losing to Purdue, 83-64, on Thursday. IU Indy started with a win vs. Evansville on Nov. 5 before falling at Ball State on Nov. 8.
Three games in, the Jaguars are averaging 76.0 points and allowing 82.7 points-per-game. IU Indy is fifth in the Horizon League in scoring offense, but 11th in scoring defense.
No team in the conference is shooting at a more efficient clip from deep than IU Indy, as it is first in three-point percentage (44%) through three games.
Jada Patton leads the Jaguars in scoring with 13.5 points-per-game, followed by Nevaeh Foster's 12.0.

SERIES HISTORY

The Salukis and Jaguars will meet for the sixth time on Saturday. IU Indy is 3-2 all-time vs. SIU.
In the last meeting, IU Indy defeated Southern, 80-76, on Nov. 16, 2022, in Carbondale.

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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Preview | Women's Basketball to Visit IU Indy on Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Ternadoo Agatha Agba

Tyranny Brown

Kayla Cooper

Alice Curman

Tkiyah Nelson

Kelowna Ngoyi

Isabella Palmqvist

Angela Samuel

Gift Uchenna

Scoreboard