Women’s Basketball Fends Off Late Push, Defeat Indiana State 86-74

Thursday, January 22

Carbondale, Ill.

6 p.m.

Southern Illinois University

6-12,3-6MVC

Indiana State

6-12,2-6MVC

Indiana St.

Southern Ill.

Women’s Basketball Fends Off Late Push, Defeat Indiana State 86-74

01/23/2026 | 12:52:00 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. – A five-game homestand came to an end on Thursday for Southern Illinois women's basketball (6-12, 3-6) as they played host to Indiana State (6-12, 2-6). Despite a second-half push by the Sycamores, the Salukis held on to defeat Indiana State, 86-74, for a second-straight win.

"I'm just proud of in the first half we had 14 assists on 19 baskets," says head coach Kelly Bond-White. "They don't care who gets the shine. They all are encouraging each other; they are passing up the contested shot for the uncontested, and it's special. Because that is something that has not always shone, but it's what we preach every single day. And now that is coming to fruition and they are seeing some results out of it."

Inside the Box Score

Alayna Kraus dropped a game-high 22 points, falling just one points short of her career high.
Indya Green scored 19 points while falling one rebound short of a double-double.
Jeniah Thompson and Kayla Cooper were in double-digits for points as well with 17 and 14.

How it Happened

First Quarter
Green started the scoring less than 40 seconds into the game with a layup. Indiana State scored the next four points to take a brief lead, but Kraus hit a jumper to tie the game up at the 7:54 mark. The Sycamores briefly retook the lead, but a successful trip to the free-throw line by Thompson knotted the game up again.

A three and and-one from Kraus built SIU a six-point lead with 6:12 to play in the first. Indiana State hit back with a three-point to make it a one possession game, but a 5-0 run from the Salukis made the lead eight.

The Sycamores eventually came within five, 19-14, and the teams tied each other 5-5 in the closing stages of the quarter to go into the first break with Southern on top, 24-19.

Second Quarter
The Salukis opened the second frame with a 9-2 run to build an impressive 33-21 lead at the 7:19 mark. A jumper from Indiana State made it a 10-point game, but a Green free throw and Kraus threeball jumped SIU's lead back up to 14 points.

After trading buckets for a few minutes, a Thompson layup at 2:38 kicked off a four-point spree to make it 45-27. Southern's lead soon eclipsed 20 points thanks to Cooper jumper at 0:52. A layup from the Sycamores briefly brought the Saluki lead under 20 points, but two Kraus free throws under the 30-second mark made the lead for Southern 51-30, which is what the scoreboard read going into halftime.

Third Quarter
Southern kept the scoring going when a Tkiyah Nelson layup opened the scoring in the third. Five-straight points from the Sycamores began to cut into the Saluki lead. A Thompson free throw ended the Indiana State run, but an 8-3 Indiana State run made it 57-43, still in favor of the Salukis.

After a Green jumper at 4:26 made it a 16-point game, Indiana State went on a 5-1 lead to pull within 11, 60-49. A pair of Kraus free throws extended SIU's lead to 13, and each team scored a pair of points in the closing 90 seconds to set the score at 64-51 going into the final 10 minutes of regulation.

Fourth Quarter
The first four points of the fourth belonged to the Sycamores, who cut their deficit back to single digits, 64-55. Nelson and Green combined for three points to put SIU back up by 12, and the teams commenced to exchange two-point plays until it was 71-59.

A Sycamore jumper at 6:11 began a four-point run to pull Indiana State within eight. The Sycamores cut the Saluki advantage down to seven at 4:32. However, SIU went on a 7-0 run to make a comfortable, 79-65 lead. After trading blows, the closest Indiana State got was 10 points at the 29-second mark. Free-throws from Hiba Malkawi and Kynnedi Davis each converted a free throw to shut the door on any Sycamore comeback, clinching the 86-74 win for the Salukis.

Up Next
With SIU's next scheduled game against Belmont on Saturday being postponed, the Salukis will not be in action again until Thursday, Jan. 29, at Murray State at 6 p.m.

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.