Preview | Women's Basketball Set to Open Season Monday at Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team is set to travel to Auburn for its season-opener on Monday at 6 p.m.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

SIU's season-opener against the Tigers can be watched on SEC Network + at 6 p.m. JJ Jackson and Joe Ciampi will be on the call.
Larry Larson will have the radio call on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM.

QUICK HITS

In 2023-24, the Salukis finished the season with a record of 11-20 overall and 6-14 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
SIU will play its season-opener on the road for the first time since 2021-22 when it traveled to the University of Tennessee on Nov. 10, 2021. This was also the last time the Salukis faced off against a Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent.
Southern Illinois is 2-3 in its last five season-openers dating back to the 2019-20 season. In its last 10 season-opening games, SIU is 4-6.
The Salukis are searching for their first Power Five win since Dec. 19, 2021, when they defeated the University of Illinois, 66-51.
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' season came to an end in the first round of the conference tournament in 2023-24, falling to Indiana State, 66-54, on March 14.
Prior to the tournament, SIU had won three-straight games to finish off the regular season. This was the team's longest winning streak of the year and its longest since winning three-straight from Dec. 29, 2022, to Jan. 5, 2023.
At the end of the 2023-24 season, the Salukis ranked eighth in the Valley in scoring (65.65 points-per-game) and fourth in scoring defense (68.48 PPG).
The Salukis concluded the year ranking first in the MVC and top 50 in the country in turnover margin (3.55).
Kelly Bond-White enters her third season in Carbondale with a record of 23-39. The lone new faces on the coaching staff are Greg Brown (assistant coach) and Peyton Thevenot (graduate assistant).

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Southern Illinois' roster consists of four returners and 10 newcomers. Three of the 10 new additions are transfers, with those players being Kayla Cooper, Karris Allen, and Jeniah Thompson.
Cooper comes to SIU by way of the University of Oklahoma, where the sophomore guard spent two seasons including one where she redshirted in 2023-24. Allen was previously at Western Kentucky University for two seasons, playing in 31 games and starting in 12 as a sophomore last year.
Thompson is making her return to the Southern Illinois area after spending the previous two seasons at Wichita State University. Prior to Wichita State, the graduate student was at John A. Logan College. Thompson was a standout player at Carterville High School in Carterville, Ill., which is less than 20 minutes away from Carbondale.
SIU has six freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors, two seniors, and one graduate student on its roster. Of the 14 players, six are from outside the United States. Three players are from Nigeria, one is from Canada, another is from Denmark, and one is from Sweden.
In terms of returners, senior Tyranny Brown is the longest tenured Saluki, entering year four in Carbondale. Brown was a member of SIU's MVC regular season championship team in 2021-22.
Se'Quoia Allmond is in her second year as a Saluki, playing in 20 games and starting in five as a junior in 2023-24. Allmond missed 11 games due to injury.
Angela Samuel and Tkiyah Nelson are the team's other two returners. Samuel played in 19 games in 2023-24, while Nelson was featured in 27 and made one start.

LOOKING AT AUBURN

In 2023-24, the Tigers finished the season with a record of 20-12 overall and 8-8 in SEC play.
Auburn's season came to an end in the NCAA Tournament last March, falling to Arizona, 69-59, in the NCAA First Four. This was the program's first NCAA Tournament bid since 2019.
The Tigers return two starters and nine letter-winners from its 2023-24 team heading into the season, including graduate student Taylen Collins. Collins averaged 7.9 PPG and 6.3 rebounds-per-game last year.
Johnnie Harris enters her fourth season at Auburn with a career record of 46-45.

SERIES HISTORY

SIU is 0-1 all-time vs. Auburn, with this being the first meeting since March 14. 1986 in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers won the lone matchup by a final score of 61-39.

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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