Tuesday, November 4
Carbondale, Ill.
11 a.m.
Southern Illinois University
1-0,0-0MVC
69
vs
53
Lewis
0-1,0-0GLVC
1
2
3
4
F
Lewis
15
8
13
17
53
Southern Ill.
7
25
16
21
69
Women’s Basketball Begins Season with 69-53 Win Over Lewis
11/04/2025 | 5:23:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The 2025-26 season is officially underway for Southern Illinois women's basketball (1-0, 0-0). On Tuesday, the Salukis welcomed Lewis University to Carbondale for the season-opener in front of a crowd of 5,000-plus, largely made up of kids from local schools as part of Elementary Day. After a sluggish start, the Salukis eventually pulled ahead and walked away with a 69-53 win.
"I was really excited for our young ladies to get out there in front of those kids," says head coach Kelly Bond-White. "And it was good; it was good for those kids, whether they knew it or not to see a little adversity and see how our young ladies were able to handle that. There was no panic, they stuck together, and I was very proud of them."
Inside the Box Score
How it Happened
First Quarter
Offense was hard to come by to start the game, with neither team finding a bucket until the 7:16 mark when Carmen Morales opened the scoring with a layup. Lewis suddenly found their scoring touch then, going on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to take an 8-2 lead.
In the following three minutes, the Salukis were able to cut the lead down to four, 10-6, but a 5-1 run by Lewis set the score at 15-7 heading into the first quarter break.
Second Quarter
Some key adjustments allowed the Salukis to come out of the gates firing in the second quarter. A seven-point spree brought the Salukis within one, 15-14, before an Allen layup gave SIU their first lead since the opening bucket. An additional four points from Southern then upped their lead to 20-15.
Lewis finally scored in the second quarter over five minutes into the period, sinking a pair of free throws to pull back within three. But another major Saluki run, this one an 8-0 spree, gave Southern a double-digit lead at 28-17. The Flyers managed to outscore SIU 6-4 in the final two-and-a-half minutes of the half, but the Salukis still held a healthy nine-point lead heading to the locker room.
Third Quarter
After trading buckets in the opening minutes of the third quarter, Lewis finally made consecutive baskets to cut the lead to seven, 37-30. However, a six-point run from SIU quickly spiked their lead back up to 13, 43-30.
A nice little 6-2 run got the Flyers back within single digits of the Salukis, but a last minute three from Cooper set SIU's lead back at 12, and sent the teams into the quarterbreak with Southern on top 48-36.
Fourth Quarter
The teams proceeded to exchange buckets for the first four minutes of the final frame, meaning SIU's lead still stood at 12. Southern eventually got some momentum and built their lead up to 15, 62-47, but a four-point streak from Lewis cut that lead back to 11. Despite some high pressure from the Flyers at the end of the game, SIU was able to hang on and clinch their 69-53 victory.
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.
"I was really excited for our young ladies to get out there in front of those kids," says head coach Kelly Bond-White. "And it was good; it was good for those kids, whether they knew it or not to see a little adversity and see how our young ladies were able to handle that. There was no panic, they stuck together, and I was very proud of them."
Inside the Box Score
- In her first game as a Saluki, Oral Roberts transfer Alayna Kraus dropped 16 points to lead SIU in scoring, and did so on a very efficient 55% shooting percentage.
- Southern spread the scoring around, having four players in double-digit points. In addition to Kraus, Karris Allen (14), Jeniah Thompson (12), and Kayla Cooper (12) all scored more than 10.
- SIU's defense was extremely stout in the game, compiling 12 steals and three blocks, forcing 17 total turnovers, and holding Lewis to 2-17 shooting from beyond the arc.
How it Happened
First Quarter
Offense was hard to come by to start the game, with neither team finding a bucket until the 7:16 mark when Carmen Morales opened the scoring with a layup. Lewis suddenly found their scoring touch then, going on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to take an 8-2 lead.
In the following three minutes, the Salukis were able to cut the lead down to four, 10-6, but a 5-1 run by Lewis set the score at 15-7 heading into the first quarter break.
Second Quarter
Some key adjustments allowed the Salukis to come out of the gates firing in the second quarter. A seven-point spree brought the Salukis within one, 15-14, before an Allen layup gave SIU their first lead since the opening bucket. An additional four points from Southern then upped their lead to 20-15.
Lewis finally scored in the second quarter over five minutes into the period, sinking a pair of free throws to pull back within three. But another major Saluki run, this one an 8-0 spree, gave Southern a double-digit lead at 28-17. The Flyers managed to outscore SIU 6-4 in the final two-and-a-half minutes of the half, but the Salukis still held a healthy nine-point lead heading to the locker room.
Third Quarter
After trading buckets in the opening minutes of the third quarter, Lewis finally made consecutive baskets to cut the lead to seven, 37-30. However, a six-point run from SIU quickly spiked their lead back up to 13, 43-30.
A nice little 6-2 run got the Flyers back within single digits of the Salukis, but a last minute three from Cooper set SIU's lead back at 12, and sent the teams into the quarterbreak with Southern on top 48-36.
Fourth Quarter
The teams proceeded to exchange buckets for the first four minutes of the final frame, meaning SIU's lead still stood at 12. Southern eventually got some momentum and built their lead up to 15, 62-47, but a four-point streak from Lewis cut that lead back to 11. Despite some high pressure from the Flyers at the end of the game, SIU was able to hang on and clinch their 69-53 victory.
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.
Team Stats
Lewis
SIU
FG%
.317
.397
3FG%
.118
.429
FT%
.591
.619
RB
40
47
TO
17
16
STL
9
12
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
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