Thursday, December 18
Peoria, IL
6 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
at
Bradley
Photo by: Zuzanna Gaik
Women’s Basketball Back in Action at Bradley on Thursday
12/17/2025 | 3:57:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Eleven days after their last game, Southern Illinois women's basketball (2-6, 0-0) is in action again on Thursday when they visit Bradley (6-4, 0-0) to begin Missouri Valley Conference play.
Details
-What: Women's Basketball at Bradley
-Date: December 18
-Time: 6 p.m.
-Location: Renaissance Coliseum, Peoria, Illinois
-Opponent: Bradley University Braves
-Live Results: https://bradleybraves.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
-Listen: The Varsity Network
-Watch: ESPN+
Last Time Out
Prior to an 11-day break from competition, Southern defeated SEMO 76-71 in thrilling fashion on December 6. Down by one with less than a minute to play, the Salukis scored the final six points of the contest to secure their first win since November 4. Alayna Kraus led the charge offensively with her 18 points, headlining a group of four Salukis to score double-digit points (Kayla Cooper, Jeniah Thompson, Tkiyah Nelson). Thompson put up a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while Indya Green fell a bucket short from doing so as well (eight points, 10 rebounds). SIU heavily benefited from free throws, knocking down 24 out of 30 attempts from the charity stripe.
A Pause in the Action
After Southern's win over SEMO on December 6, SIU was off from competition for 11 days. This will be SIU's longest break in play all season. The break comes after the Salukis played seven games in 22 days, including five games away from home.
The Matchup
Since 1983, Bradley and SIU have met up 86 times, with SIU dominating the series 63-23. Bradley won their last matchup 59-51 at SIU last season, and the Braves currently hold a two-game winning streak in the series. Southern's last win in the series came in 2024 when they hosted and defeated Bradley 70-54 on March 2. SIU has not won at Bradley since 2023 when they defeated the Braves 83-50.
Bradley enters this matchup with a 6-4 overall record. The Braves are coming off a 65-62 win over South Dakota on December 10, Bradley's second straight win after also beating Chicago State on December 7. Bradley has faced some tough competition so far this season, taking down Big East DePaul on November before falling to Missouri (SEC) on November 28 and Nebraksa (Big 10) on December 3. The Braves are coming off their best season under head coach Kate Popvec-Goss. In 2024-25, they went 14-19 and 7-13. Bradley has improved every season of the Popvec-Goss era, seeing their overall win-total jumping for four to six to 14, and their conference wins from one to two to seven.
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.
Details
-What: Women's Basketball at Bradley
-Date: December 18
-Time: 6 p.m.
-Location: Renaissance Coliseum, Peoria, Illinois
-Opponent: Bradley University Braves
-Live Results: https://bradleybraves.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
-Listen: The Varsity Network
-Watch: ESPN+
Last Time Out
Prior to an 11-day break from competition, Southern defeated SEMO 76-71 in thrilling fashion on December 6. Down by one with less than a minute to play, the Salukis scored the final six points of the contest to secure their first win since November 4. Alayna Kraus led the charge offensively with her 18 points, headlining a group of four Salukis to score double-digit points (Kayla Cooper, Jeniah Thompson, Tkiyah Nelson). Thompson put up a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while Indya Green fell a bucket short from doing so as well (eight points, 10 rebounds). SIU heavily benefited from free throws, knocking down 24 out of 30 attempts from the charity stripe.
A Pause in the Action
After Southern's win over SEMO on December 6, SIU was off from competition for 11 days. This will be SIU's longest break in play all season. The break comes after the Salukis played seven games in 22 days, including five games away from home.
The Matchup
Since 1983, Bradley and SIU have met up 86 times, with SIU dominating the series 63-23. Bradley won their last matchup 59-51 at SIU last season, and the Braves currently hold a two-game winning streak in the series. Southern's last win in the series came in 2024 when they hosted and defeated Bradley 70-54 on March 2. SIU has not won at Bradley since 2023 when they defeated the Braves 83-50.
Bradley enters this matchup with a 6-4 overall record. The Braves are coming off a 65-62 win over South Dakota on December 10, Bradley's second straight win after also beating Chicago State on December 7. Bradley has faced some tough competition so far this season, taking down Big East DePaul on November before falling to Missouri (SEC) on November 28 and Nebraksa (Big 10) on December 3. The Braves are coming off their best season under head coach Kate Popvec-Goss. In 2024-25, they went 14-19 and 7-13. Bradley has improved every season of the Popvec-Goss era, seeing their overall win-total jumping for four to six to 14, and their conference wins from one to two to seven.
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.
Players Mentioned
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