Preview | Southern Illinois Concludes Regular Season against Bradley, Illinois State

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (4-23 overall, 2-16 conference) will play host to Bradley on Thursday at 6 p.m. and then Illinois State on Saturday at 2 p.m. on Senior Day in the final two games of the regular season.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Larry Larson will have the radio call on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM for both games.

GAME PROMOTION

On Thursday, there will be a final Kids Club Bash for the basketball season. Kids can come play corn hole, board games, and make signs for the team during pregame. Kids can also snag a Kids Club t-shirt if they have not already during the season.
SIU's game vs. Illinois State on Saturday is Senior Day. The three seniors that will be honored are Tyranny Brown, Jeniah Thompson, and Se'Quoia Allmond.

QUICK HITS

Southern Illinois enters the final week of the regular season with a 4-23 record overall and 2-16 conference record.
The Salukis currently sit in 12th place in the MVC, and can finish in either 10th, 11th, or 12th.
Southern is averaging 36.9 rebounds-per-game, its best rebounding average since the 2018-19 season when it averaged 38.1 rebounds-per-game.
The Salukis are 12th in scoring offense (57.3) and 11th in scoring defense (75.8). Southern Illinois has reached 70 points in four games, but hasn't since scoring 72 vs. Evansville on Feb. 7.
Southern Illinois is second in the MVC in offensive rebounding (12.7) and has had double-digit offensive boards in 21 games.
SIU leads the conference and is 53rd in the NCAA in blocks-per-game (4.07). The Salukis have had at least three blocks in 20 games. Southern's nine blocks at Murray State are tied for a season-high (also had nine vs. Missouri State on Feb. 13).

LEADING THE SALUKIS

Gift Uchenna broke Saluki Hall of Famer Dyana Pierre's single-season rebounding record on Saturday after reaching 342 rebounds. Uchenna is also averaging a program-record 12.9 rebounds-per-game. The junior is second in the nation in rebounding, third in offensive rebounding (4.9), 17th in blocks-per-game (2.30), and is tied for fourth in double doubles (18).
Kayla Cooper is averaging a team-high 32.0 minutes-per-game, ranking ninth in the Valley, and a team-high 1.6 steals-per-game, which is ninth in the league. In conference games, Cooper is fifth in the league at 33.4 minutes-per-game and has played at least 31 minutes in five consecutive games. In terms of steals, the sophomore is averaging 2.0 steals-per-game over her last three outings.
Isabella Palmqvist has made 37 three pointers, the eighth-most by an SIU freshman in program history. They are also the most by a Saluki freshman since Makenzie Silvey made 52 shots from deep in 2017-18. After coming off the bench for Southern's first four conference games, Palmqvist has started in every game since for the Salukis.
Tkiyah Nelson was held without a steal for the second time in her last three games after previously tallying a steal in eight of the prior nine games. The sophomore has had multiple steals in 12 games, and a career-high four steals in two games, most recently on Feb. 7 vs. Evansville.
Tyranny Brown is one of the three seniors that will be honored on Senior Day on Saturday vs. Illinois State. Brown is the lone remaining member of the 2021-22 MVC Regular Season Championship team still on the roster. Se'Quoia Allmond and Jeniah Thompson will also be honored this weekend.

LOOKING AT BRADLEY

Bradley holds an overall record of 12-17 and a conference record of 6-12 entering its final road trip of the regular season. Bradley is 3-11 on the road this season.
The Braves have won two of their last three games, with the wins coming against Illinois State on Feb. 23 and UIC in their last game on March 1.
Bradley is currently the ninth seed in the MVC, and cannot move up or down no matter the results this weekend. The Braves will play whichever seed ends up as the eighth seed, which could either be UIC or Valparaiso.
Soleil Barnes leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 points-per-game. This also ranks eighth in the Missouri Valley.

LOOKING AT ILLINOIS STATE

The Redbirds enter the week 19-10 overall and 13-5 in conference play.
Illinois State can finish anywhere between first and fifth place depending on this weekend's results.
The Redbirds have won two in a row and five of their last six games heading into the week.
Shannon Dowell leads Illinois State in scoring, averaging 15.7 points-per-game.

SERIES HISTORY

All-time, SIU is 57-31 vs. Bradley and has won five of the last seven meetings. This will be the 89th meeting between the two programs.
Against Illinois State, Southern is 46-68 all-time.

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