Preview | Women's Basketball Begins Four Game Road Trip with Drake and Northern Iowa

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (4-19 overall, 2-12 conference) will begin its final road swing of the regular season on Thursday against Drake at 6 p.m., followed by Northern Iowa on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

Southern's games against the Bulldogs and Panthers will both be on ESPN+. Larry Morgan (play-by-play) and Laura Leonard (analyst) will have the call on Thursday in Des Moines.
Larry Larson will have the radio call on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM for both games.

QUICK HITS

Southern Illinois is on its fourth losing streak of three or more games this season. The Salukis are averaging 52.3 points-per-game during this stretch. The three-game losing streak is currently the longest in the conference.
SIU has been held to fewer than 50 points in back-to-back games and in six games total. The 46 points in its 62-46 loss to UIC on Sunday were tied for a third-worst this year for Southern.
In conference games, the Salukis are averaging 58.3 points-per-game, which ranks 11th in the MVC. They are also 12th in scoring defense (77.4) in league games.
Southern is averaging 37.8 rebounds-per-game, its best rebounding average since the 2018-19 season when it averaged 38.1 boards-per-contest.
Entering its final four road games of the regular season, SIU sits in 11th place in the Valley. The Salukis share the same conference record as both Evansville in 10th and Indiana State in 12th.
The Salukis are 11th in scoring offense (58.7) and 12th in scoring defense (74.7). Southern Illinois has reached 70 points in four games, with each of its last two being against Evansville.
Southern Illinois is second in the MVC in offensive rebounding (13.3) and have had double-digit offensive boards in 19 games.
SIU leads the conference and ranks 53rd in the NCAA in blocks-per-game (4.1). The Salukis have had at least three blocks in 18 games, and have at least four blocks in four-straight games. Against Missouri State last Thursday, Southern had a season-high nine blocks, its most since the 2022-23 season (12 vs. Evansville on Feb. 25, 2023).

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Gift Uchenna is averaging a program-record 13.2 rebounds-per-game, and her 303 total rebounds are already the seventh-most in a single season in SIU history. Uchenna is 38 rebounds away from tying Saluki Hall of Famer Dyana Pierre's record of 341 rebounds, which was set in 2015. The junior is second in the nation in rebounding and offensive rebounding (5.2), 12th in blocks-per-game (2.35), and is tied for fourth in double doubles (16).
Kayla Cooper played a career-high 39 minutes on Sunday vs. UIC. Cooper is ninth in the Valley in minutes-per-game (31.5) but in conference games, the sophomore is fifth, averaging 33.1 minutes-per-game. Cooper is also ninth in the MVC in steals-per-game (1.6) and has had a steal in nine consecutive games.
Isabella Palmqvist has hit a three-pointer in five straight games and has multiple three's in 10 games total. Palmqvist ranks 19th in the league in three pointers-per-game at 1.5 and her 34 total three's are a team-high. They are also the most by a Saluki freshman since Makenzie Silvey made 52 shots from deep in 2017-18.
Tkiyah Nelson is tied with Kayla Cooper for a team-high in steals with 35 on the year. Nelson has had multiple steals in 11 games, and has posted a career-high four steals in two games, most recently against Evansville on Feb. 7.
Tyranny Brown was held scoreless for the first time in four games on Sunday vs. UIC. Brown is looking to reach double figures for the first time since scoring 10 points on Dec. 2 vs. Central Methodist. The senior is the lone member of the 2021-22 MVC regular season championship team that is still on the Saluki roster.
Alice Curman has made six straight starts for SIU after coming off the bench in her previous nine games. Curman fouled out for the first time as a Saluki on Sunday, playing 22 minutes and scoring two points. The freshman from Sweden has scored in double figures in four games this season.

LOOKING AT DRAKE

The Bulldogs are in second place in the Valley with an 11-3 conference record and 17-8 overall record. Drake has won six consecutive games, the longest current winning streak in the MVC.
Katie Dinnebier had a career-high 42 points in Drake's 88-83 win over Belmont on Saturday. Dinnebier also had five rebounds and eight assists, making this the first 40-5-5 game in the Valley since 2014.
Drake is second in the MVC and 30th in the nation in scoring offense (77.4).
Dinnebier leads the team and is 17th in the country with her 20.8 points-per-game average.

LOOKING AT NORTHERN IOWA

The Panthers are 13-12 overall and 8-6 in conference play entering the week.
UNI is in sixth place in the league and sits two games back of Murray State and Illinois State in fourth and fifth.
In its last game, Northern Iowa fell, 96-91, on Saturday at Murray State. Maya McDermott had 35 points and six assists in the loss.
McDermott is averaging a team-high 19.9 points-per-game, which also ranks 22nd in the country.

SERIES HISTORY

Southern holds a record of 30-69 all-time vs. Drake. Thursday's game will be the 100th meeting between the two programs.
Against Northern Iowa, the Salukis are 35-50 all-time. The two teams last met on Jan. 24, where the Panthers came out victorious, 84-59.

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.

Calendar

Upcoming Events