Preview | Women's Basketball to Host Central Methodist on Monday for 'Elementary Field Trip Day' Game

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (1-4) will return home on Monday to host Central Methodist at 11 a.m. for the 'Elementary Field Trip Day' game.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

To watch Monday's game, tune into ESPN+ at 11 a.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

On Monday, it will be the 'Elementary Field Trip Day' game at the Banterra Center. North of 4,500 kids from local area schools are expected to attend SIU's game against the Eagles.
There will also be a live DJ at Monday's game.
Fans can pre-order the women's basketball ugly sweater here. Those who purchase the sweater are encouraged to wear them on Dec. 22 for SIU's game against UAB.

QUICK HITS

Southern Illinois suffered its fourth loss of the year last Monday at Southeast Missouri State, falling by a final score of 70-58.
The Salukis finished the game at SEMO with 20 turnovers. Southern is 0-3 this season when having at least 20 turnovers.
On Monday, Southern Illinois will look to snap a two-game losing skid at home against Central Methodist. SIU's last home victory was on March 2, 2024, vs. Bradley.
Southern Illinois is 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring offense, averaging 57.8 points-per-game. On the other side, Southern is ninth in scoring defense, allowing 72.8 points-per-game.
Through five games, the Salukis are in the middle of the pack in terms of free throw shooting, ranking sixth in the league at 0.735. SIU is also fifth in offensive rebounds-per-game (11.4).
The Salukis are in the top half of the MVC in both blocks (fifth, 3.4) and steals (sixth, 7.4).
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.
Heading into December, Southern is tied with Indiana State for 11th in the Valley, as both teams are 1-4. Conference play begins on Dec. 29 at Valparaiso for the Salukis.
Bradley and Missouri State sit at the top of the league with 4-2 records, followed by Murray State at 3-2.
Kelly Bond-White is in her third season in Carbondale and has a record of 24-43. The lone new faces on the coaching staff are Greg Brown (assistant coach) and Peyton Thevenot (graduate assistant).

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Gift Uchenna leads the Salukis in scoring (14.6), rebounding (10.6), blocks (2.4), and is second in steals (1.6). Uchenna is one of two players in the Missouri Valley Conference to be averaging a double-double along with Evansville's Maggie Hartwig, and is second in the MVC and tied for 18th in the nation in rebounding. Uchenna is also third in the MVC and 22nd in the NCAA in blocks-per-game.
Isabella Palmqvist is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.0 points-per-game. Palmqvist has also been SIU's biggest threat from deep, leading the team with nine three-pointers made on a percentage of .429. The freshman from Denmark is eighth in the league in three-point percentage and has hit multiple three's in three-straight games.
Kayla Cooper played a season-high 32 minutes at SEMO on Nov. 25. Cooper went 1-of-4 from deep in the loss, and is 6-of-12 from three-point range on the year. This ranks fourth in the Valley.
Tyranny Brown is third on the team in scoring, averaging 7.6 points-per-game. Brown's .556 field-goal percentage in SIU's lone win at IU Indy was her highest mark of the season and the senior's best percentage since Dec. 6, 2023, vs. SIUE (.571, min. of five attempts).
Tkiyah Nelson is tied for ninth in the league in steals-per-game with an average of 1.8 and nine steals total. Nelson has had at least one steal in every game and multiple steals in three games. As a freshman, the St. Louis native had 14 steals total in 27 games played.
Alice Curman has made three starts as Southern Illinois' point guard, averaging 5.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 steals-per-game. After missing SIU's game at IU Indy due to injury, Curman appeared off of the bench at SEMO and scored 10 points in 23 minutes.

LOOKING AT CENTRAL METHODIST

Central Methodist holds a record of 4-5 overall and 1-4 in conference play entering Monday's game.
The Eagles compete at the NAIA Division I level in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) and are from Fayette, Mo.
Central Methodist is averaging 71.0 points-per-game on splits of 43.4% from the field, 30.8% from deep, and 73.6% at the free throw line. CMU is also averaging 36.6 rebounds and 16.0 assists.
Two Eagles are averaging double-figures in scoring, as Kayhla Adams is averaging 13.6 points-per-game and Sa'Mya Stevens is averaging 11.4.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be the first-ever 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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