Preview | Women's Basketball Travels to Valparaiso on Thursday to Begin Final Road Trip

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (9-19, 4-14 MVC) is set to face Valparaiso on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Indiana in its first of a two-game road trip to close out the regular season.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

Southern Illinois' game against Valpo can be watched on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Brian Jennings (play-by-play) and Jamie Stangel (analyst) will be doing the broadcasting duties.
Larry Larson will have the radio call on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM.

QUICK HITS

The Salukis head into their final road trip of the regular season with a record of 9-19 overall and 4-14 in MVC play. On the road, SIU is 1-8 this season.
In its last game, Southern Illinois defeated Bradley, 70-54, on Saturday, March 2. The Salukis held Bradley to just 36.0% shooting from the field while Southern shot 43.3%.
Laniah Randle posted her fourth 30-point game and 10th double-double on Saturday, both being league-high's. Randle scored 32 points with 14 rebounds and four steals in the win.
SIU sits in ninth place in the MVC heading into its matchup against 10th-place Valpo. Southern Illinois can finish as high as eighth and as low as 12th.
Southern Illinois is eighth in scoring offense (66.1) and fifth in scoring defense (69.3).
The Salukis lead the Valley and are 33rd in the NCAA in turnovers forced-per-game (19.75).
No team in the conference has allowed fewer three-pointers than SIU at 133. Missouri State is second with 140. Southern is also fourth in the Valley in opponent three-point percentage (.301).
The Salukis are first in the MVC and 42nd in the country in turnover margin (3.71).
Southern Illinois leads the Valley and is tied for 13th in the NCAA in steals-per-game (11.3). The Salukis have posted 10 or more steals in 18 games and have three players top six in the league in steals-per-game.

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Laniah Randle is the only player in the MVC to be top three in both scoring (second, 18.7) and rebounding (second, 8.8). Randle is also tied for 12th in total blocks (20) and is third in total steals (62). The junior has had 20 or more points in 14 games this season, and four games with over 30, which leads the Valley. The next highest tally in the league is two.
Randle is tied for 40th in the NCAA in scoring, tied for 62nd in rebounding, and tied for 29th in offensive rebounds-per-game (3.7). The junior forward has 10 double-doubles on the season.
In all of 2022-23, SIU had six total double-doubles. The Salukis have 13 as a team this season. Randle has provided nine of them, while Seairra Hughes has the other three.
Jaidynn Mason is second on the team and 10th in the MVC in scoring, averaging 14.4 points to go along with 3.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.7 steals-per-game, with the steals average leading the conference. Mason posted her 15th game with 10+ points on Saturday and has three games with over 20 points on the year.
Quierra Love is fourth in the MVC and tied for 82nd in the NCAA in steals-per-game (2.1). Love has posted two or more steals in 14 games, and has at least four steals in seven games. Love is now sixth in career steals (194) at SIU, passing Petra Jackson, who had 189 steals from 1983 to 1986.
Love is tied for seventh in the Valley in assists-per-game (3.9), and is tied for ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.6).
Adrianna Katcher, in her final home as a Saluki, posted a career-high five blocks, to go along with eight points, eight rebounds, and four assists against Bradley on Saturday.

LOOKING AT VALPARAISO

Valpo sits one place behind SIU in the MVC standings at 10th, holding a record of 5-22 overall and 4-14 in conference play. The Beacons have lost five straight games.
The Beacons lost, 82-62, at Drake in their last game on Saturday, March 2. In the loss, Valpo allowed a field-goal percentage of 54.5% and three-point percentage of 40.0%.
Saniya Jackson was Valparaiso's leading scorer on Saturday, posting 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.
On the season, Leah Earnest is averaging a team-high 15.9 points-per-game for Valpo.
Mary Evans is in her sixth season as Valpo's head coach, and has a record of 60-113.

SERIES HISTORY

Southern Illinois is 8-4 all-time against Valparaiso, and this will be the 13th meeting between the two programs.
The Salukis won the previous meeting on Jan. 6, 75-66, in Carbondale. SIU was led by elite free throw shooting in the win, shooting 89.7%, going 26-for-29. Randle led the Dawgs with 24 Points.
Saniya Jackson was Valpo's leading scorer, putting up 15 points with three steals.

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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