Friday, January 2
Des Moines, IA
6 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
3-9,0-3MVC
75
at
89
Drake
4-9,3-0MVC
1
2
3
4
F
Southern Ill.
16
24
15
20
75
Drake
18
21
22
28
89
Photo by: Zuzanna Gaik
Salukis Fall to Drake in First Contest of 2026
01/02/2026 | 11:00:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The 2026 portion of Southern Illinois women's basketball (3-9, 0-3) opened up on Friday with a matchup at Drake (4-9, 3-0). After a tight first half in which the Salukis led by one, Drake came back and pulled away in the second half to defeat Southern, 89-75.
Inside the Box Score
How it Happened
First Quarter
The teams traded buckets for the first few minutes until back-to-back buckets gave Drake an 8-4 lead. Jumpers from Kraus and Tkiyah Nelson quickly tied things up, but a four-point run from the Bulldogs built their lead back up to four. The squads went back to swapping scores for the final three minutes of the quarter to set the score at 18-16 in favor of Drake.
Second Quarter
Thompson started the second quarter with a layup to knot things up at 18. After a Drake layup temporarily gave them a lead, a threeball from Kraus put SIU in front by one. Three free throws gave Drake the lead back before another make from beyond the arc from Kraus put the Salukis atop once more.
After a Bulldog free throw tied the game, another SIU three, this one from Thompson. Another four points from SIU built their lead up to seven, 31-24, with 5:19 to play in the half. Two baskets from both sides kept the Southern lead at seven, but SIU eventually extended their lead to eight.
Two layups and two free-throw makes from Drake cut the SIU lead to two, and a Bulldog three gave Drake the lead late. But Kraus hit a buzzer-beating layup to put the Salukis up 40-39 going into the halftime break.
Third Quarter
The second half began with a three by Kraus, but a 9-0 run by the Bulldogs put them on top, 48-42. That lead eventually grew to seven at the 4:29 mark. A Thompson layup and Kraus three-pointer brought the Salukis back within two. Back-to-back Drake makes eventually made it a six-point game again.
A jumper from Thompson cut it back to a four-point contest, but two free throws by the Bulldogs with less than a minute in the quarter made the deficit six going into the final frame.
Fourth Quarter
The Drake lead grew to nine when the Bulldogs hit a three to open the fourth, but the Salukis kept up to keep that lead in the single digits until the 4:43 mark, which was the start of a five-point spree by Drake to make it 77-66.
Green then hit a layup to bring the Salukis back within 10, but three points from Drake built the lead up to 12. SIU won the next minute 7-5 to cut their deficit down to 10 again, but four straight points from Drake to end the game set the final score at 89-75.
Up Next
After a day off, the Salukis are right back in action on Sunday, Jan. 4, with a 2 p.m. game at UNI.
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
- Indya Green put up a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
- Jeniah Thompson also had a double-double with 16 and 13 rebounds.
- Alayna Kraus and Kayla Cooper each scored 10+ as well with 18 and 17 points.
How it Happened
First Quarter
The teams traded buckets for the first few minutes until back-to-back buckets gave Drake an 8-4 lead. Jumpers from Kraus and Tkiyah Nelson quickly tied things up, but a four-point run from the Bulldogs built their lead back up to four. The squads went back to swapping scores for the final three minutes of the quarter to set the score at 18-16 in favor of Drake.
Second Quarter
Thompson started the second quarter with a layup to knot things up at 18. After a Drake layup temporarily gave them a lead, a threeball from Kraus put SIU in front by one. Three free throws gave Drake the lead back before another make from beyond the arc from Kraus put the Salukis atop once more.
After a Bulldog free throw tied the game, another SIU three, this one from Thompson. Another four points from SIU built their lead up to seven, 31-24, with 5:19 to play in the half. Two baskets from both sides kept the Southern lead at seven, but SIU eventually extended their lead to eight.
Two layups and two free-throw makes from Drake cut the SIU lead to two, and a Bulldog three gave Drake the lead late. But Kraus hit a buzzer-beating layup to put the Salukis up 40-39 going into the halftime break.
Third Quarter
The second half began with a three by Kraus, but a 9-0 run by the Bulldogs put them on top, 48-42. That lead eventually grew to seven at the 4:29 mark. A Thompson layup and Kraus three-pointer brought the Salukis back within two. Back-to-back Drake makes eventually made it a six-point game again.
A jumper from Thompson cut it back to a four-point contest, but two free throws by the Bulldogs with less than a minute in the quarter made the deficit six going into the final frame.
Fourth Quarter
The Drake lead grew to nine when the Bulldogs hit a three to open the fourth, but the Salukis kept up to keep that lead in the single digits until the 4:43 mark, which was the start of a five-point spree by Drake to make it 77-66.
Green then hit a layup to bring the Salukis back within 10, but three points from Drake built the lead up to 12. SIU won the next minute 7-5 to cut their deficit down to 10 again, but four straight points from Drake to end the game set the final score at 89-75.
Up Next
After a day off, the Salukis are right back in action on Sunday, Jan. 4, with a 2 p.m. game at UNI.
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
SIU
DRA
FG%
.432
.530
3FG%
.286
.353
FT%
.556
.565
RB
34
48
TO
8
13
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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