Preview | Women's Basketball Hosts Eastern Kentucky on Sunday for Home Opener

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (0-1) is set to host Eastern Kentucky at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the 2024-25 home opener at the Banterra Center.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

To watch Sunday's game against the Colonels, tune into ESPN+ at 2 p.m. where Mike Trude and Saluki Hall of Famer Jamaal Tatum will have the call.
Larry Larson will have the radio call on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM.

GAME PROMOTION

The game theme is 'Costume Party,' and fans are encouraged to wear their best costumes. Come out early to meet SIU'S Spirit Team dressed as fans' favorite superheroes and princesses, and snap some photos before the game. Stick around after the game for poster autographs on the court.

QUICK HITS

Southern Illinois started its season with a 65-31 road defeat at Auburn on Monday, Nov. 4. The 31 points were the program's fewest since Feb. 23, 2014, when it scored 31 points at Evansville.
The Salukis shot 20.0% from the field, 27.3% from three-point range, and 61.5% from the free throw line in the loss. As a team, Southern had 29 turnovers.
In 2023-24, the Salukis finished the season with a record of 11-20 overall and 6-14 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Southern Illinois won its home opener vs. Southeast Missouri State, 85-70, in 2023-24. Over the past five seasons, the Salukis are 3-2 in home openers and are 8-2 in their last 10 home openers dating back to the 2014-15 season.
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 is in her third season in Carbondale and has a record of 23-40. The lone new faces on the coaching staff are Greg Brown (assistant coach) and Peyton Thevenot (graduate assistant).

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Gift Uchenna was SIU's leading scorer in Monday's loss at Auburn, scoring eight points while also tallying seven rebounds. Kayla Cooper's six points were the second most on the team in the defeat.
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.
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.
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 EASTERN KENTUCKY

Eastern Kentucky is 0-2 to start the season after losing at No. 7 LSU and then Tennessee State at home, 66-48, on Friday, Nov. 8.
The Colonels were out-scored, 39-14, in the first half. As a team, EKU shot 28.3% from the field and 12.5% from beyond the arc. Alice Recanati led the Colonels with 13 points in the loss.
In 2024-25, Eastern Kentucky is returning three members of last year's starting lineup: Recanati, Kaitlyn Costner, and Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor. The Colonels have six total returners.
Eastern Kentucky will host Tennessee State on Friday night in its home opener at 6 p.m. CT.

SERIES HISTORY

The Salukis are 2-0 all-time against EKU. The last meeting took place on Feb. 24, 1979, when SIU won, 74-53. The only other matchup was one year prior, Feb. 25, 1978, in Richmond, Ky. The Salukis won, 68-61.

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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