Saturday, January 10
Carbondale, Ill.
2 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
4-11,1-5MVC
97
vs
59
Valparaiso
0-17,0-6MVC
1
2
3
4
F
Valparaiso
13
21
10
15
59
Southern Ill.
27
25
22
23
97
Women’s Basketball Collects First Conference Win Over Valparaiso
01/10/2026 | 9:21:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Seeking their first conference win of the season, the Southern Illinois women's basketball team (4-11, 1-5) welcomed Valparaiso (0-17, 0-6) to Carbondale on Saturday afternoon. SIU controlled the whole game, eventually winning 97-59 and scoring their most points in a game since January, 2024.
Inside the Box Score
How it Happened
First Quarter
Thompson got the Salukis off on the right foot with a three-point play thanks to an and-one. Valparaiso did hit back with a 4-0 run, but six straight points from the Salukis put them back on top, 9-4.
A layup from the Beacons made it a one-possession game, but Karris Allen hit a jumper to make a five-point game. Valparaiso hit a three to bring it back to a two-point game. However, Alayna Kraus knocked down a three of her own to up SIU's lead to five. Cooper hit a layup and Kynnedi Davis knocked down a free throw to make it 19-11.
Valparaiso hit a layup, but with 70 seconds left, the Salukis dropped eight points to take a 27-13 lead into the second quarter.
Second Quarter
The squads traded buckets to open the second quarter through the first two and a half minutes before a 4-0 Valparaiso run made it 34-19. The Beacons eventually made it a 13-point game at the 5:31 mark before Cooper nailed a three.
Another Beacon run closed the gap to 12 points, 39-27. At 3:09, Southern began a 7-0 run to build their lead all the way up to 20, 49-29. After Valparaiso closed the lead down to 15, Southern scored the final three points of the quarter to lead 52-34 as the halftime break hit.
Third Quarter
The first three points of the second half belonged to the Beacons, but Southern scored the next six to increase their lead to 58-37. Following a jumper from Valparaiso and a couple of free throws from both squads, a big 10-0 Southern run made it 70-42 in their favor.
Valparaiso stopped the run with a layup, but SIU picked it right back up with four straight points. The last layup of the quarter belonged to the Beacons, who cut the lead down to 74-44 heading into the final frame of play.
Fourth Quarter
Coming out of the break, Valparaiso could only muster two free throws in the opening two-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter as Southern outscored the Beacons 11-2. After playing even ball until the 5:46 mark, the Beacons hit three free throws and Carmen Morales made a layup to make it 93-55 with five minutes to play.
The teams tied 4-4 over the last five minutes to secure SIU's 97-59 win.
Up Next
After a few days off from competition, the Salukis resume play on Thursday, Jan. 15, with a 6 p.m. game against Murray State.
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.
Inside the Box Score
- Jeniah Thompson dropped a career-high 25 points to complete a double-double with her 14 rebounds.
- Indya Green, Kayla Cooper, and Tkiyah Nelson all hit 10+ points too, with 19, 11, and 10.
- Southern thrived at the free-throw line, converting 21 times out of 32 attempts.
How it Happened
First Quarter
Thompson got the Salukis off on the right foot with a three-point play thanks to an and-one. Valparaiso did hit back with a 4-0 run, but six straight points from the Salukis put them back on top, 9-4.
A layup from the Beacons made it a one-possession game, but Karris Allen hit a jumper to make a five-point game. Valparaiso hit a three to bring it back to a two-point game. However, Alayna Kraus knocked down a three of her own to up SIU's lead to five. Cooper hit a layup and Kynnedi Davis knocked down a free throw to make it 19-11.
Valparaiso hit a layup, but with 70 seconds left, the Salukis dropped eight points to take a 27-13 lead into the second quarter.
Second Quarter
The squads traded buckets to open the second quarter through the first two and a half minutes before a 4-0 Valparaiso run made it 34-19. The Beacons eventually made it a 13-point game at the 5:31 mark before Cooper nailed a three.
Another Beacon run closed the gap to 12 points, 39-27. At 3:09, Southern began a 7-0 run to build their lead all the way up to 20, 49-29. After Valparaiso closed the lead down to 15, Southern scored the final three points of the quarter to lead 52-34 as the halftime break hit.
Third Quarter
The first three points of the second half belonged to the Beacons, but Southern scored the next six to increase their lead to 58-37. Following a jumper from Valparaiso and a couple of free throws from both squads, a big 10-0 Southern run made it 70-42 in their favor.
Valparaiso stopped the run with a layup, but SIU picked it right back up with four straight points. The last layup of the quarter belonged to the Beacons, who cut the lead down to 74-44 heading into the final frame of play.
Fourth Quarter
Coming out of the break, Valparaiso could only muster two free throws in the opening two-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter as Southern outscored the Beacons 11-2. After playing even ball until the 5:46 mark, the Beacons hit three free throws and Carmen Morales made a layup to make it 93-55 with five minutes to play.
The teams tied 4-4 over the last five minutes to secure SIU's 97-59 win.
Up Next
After a few days off from competition, the Salukis resume play on Thursday, Jan. 15, with a 6 p.m. game against Murray State.
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
VALPO
SIU
FG%
.362
.507
3FG%
.105
.286
FT%
.600
.656
RB
36
48
TO
22
10
STL
3
14
Game Leaders
Pts
25
FGM
11
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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