Preview | Southern Illinois Continues Road Swing on Sunday at Evansville

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (3-11 overall, 1-4 conference) is looking for a second consecutive win on Sunday when it travels to Evansville at 1 p.m.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

On Sunday, SIU's game against Evansville can be watched on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Laura Leonard (analyst) will be on the call.
Larry Larson will be doing the broadcasting duties on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM.

QUICK HITS

Southern Illinois earned its first conference win of the season on Thursday, defeating Indiana State, 63-58, on the road. This was SIU's first Missouri Valley Conference win since March 9, 2024, when it beat UIC, 69-65, in Chicago, Ill.
The Salukis had 52 total rebounds on Thursday, their second most this season (had 54 on Dec. 2 vs. Central Methodist). Gift Uchenna had her sixth game with at least 15 rebounds in the win (17 total).
On Thursday, the Salukis held the Sycamores to 58 points, the fewest a Valley team has scored against them this season and fewest since March, 7, 2024, when Valparaiso scored 51 vs. SIU.
Through five conference games, Southern Illinois sits in 10th place in the MVC and is ahead of both Indiana State and Evansville. SIU shares the same league record (1-4) as Valpo and UIC.
After the strong defensive showing against the Sycamores, the Salukis are now ninth in the Valley in scoring defense (72.1). Offensively, SIU is 12th at 58.5 points-per-game.
Southern Illinois is sixth in overall rebounding (37.9) in the Missouri Valley, and leads the conference in offensive rebounding (13.6). This is tied for 59th in the NCAA.
SIU ranks third in the conference in blocks-per-game (3.36) and has at least five blocks in back-to-back games (did not have five in a game before previous two games).
The Salukis are also seventh in the league in steals-per-game (8.07).

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Gift Uchenna had her fourth game of the season with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in Thursday's win at Indiana State, scoring 20 points with 17 rebounds and four blocks. Uchenna is now up to 15.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks-per-game with eight double doubles, which is tied for 14th in the nation. The junior leads the MVC and is second in the country in rebounding, and is first in offensive rebounds-per-game (5.6). Uchenna is also 24th in the NCAA in blocks-per-game.
Kayla Cooper has scored in double figures in four of her last seven games after having one such game in her first six appearances of the year. Cooper was held without a three-pointer against the Sycamores, going 0-for-4 from deep. This was only the third time in 2024-25 where the sophomore guard has not hit a three-pointer, and first time since Dec. 29 at Valparaiso.
Se'Quoia Allmond missed her fourth game of the season on Thursday. This was Allmond's first time out of the lineup since Dec. 2 vs. Central Methodist. The veteran guard had started SIU's previous five games, but only played 10 minutes at Missouri State on Jan. 12.
Isabella Palmqvist made her first start since Dec. 22 vs. UAB on Thursday in Terre Haute, and rewarded the Salukis by hitting the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:23 to go in the fourth quarter. Palmqvist's 17 three pointers made are a team-high, and the freshman has made a shot from deep in 10 of her 14 games played. Palmqvist now has five games with multiple three pointers.
Tkiyah Nelson posted a career-high six assists against the Sycamores on Thursday, and is now second on the team in total assists (26). Nelson is also second in total steals (22) and had her seventh game with multiple steals vs. Indiana State (two steals, her most in four games).
Tyranny Brown's 5.4 points-per-game are the sixth most on the team, while her .789 free throw percentage is a team-high. Brown has scored in double-figures in three games, but has been held to single digits in eight straight games.
Alice Curman had 10 points vs. Indiana State, her most since having 10 points in back-to-back games against Central Methodist on Dec. 2 and at SEMO on Nov. 25. Curman has gotten going from deep in recent games, shooting 7-for-17 (42%) from three-point range over her last four games.

LOOKING AT EVANSVILLE

Evansville is currently 12th in the Missouri Valley, holding an 0-5 conference record and 4-12 overall record.
The Purple Aces fell, 84-57, in their last game against Missouri State on Friday night.
Evansville's last MVC win came against Southern Illinois on Feb. 15, 2024, in Indiana. The Aces have lost their last 13 conference games since.
Maggie Hartwig's 16.9 points-per-game lead the Aces, followed by Camryn Runner's 16.7.

SERIES HISTORY

The Salukis are 41-29 all-time vs. Evansville. The two sides split the season series in 2023-24.
In Evansville's win over SIU on Feb. 15, 2024, the Purple Aces snapped a 13 game losing streak against the Salukis.

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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