Salukis Set for First Round Date with #9 Indiana State in MVC Tournament

Thursday, March 12

Coralville, Iowa

3:30 p.m.

Southern Illinois University

Indiana State

Tkiyah Nelson (#23) brings the ball up in SIU's lost at Belmont on March 2 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Photo by: Peter Borkowski

Salukis Set for First Round Date with #9 Indiana State in MVC Tournament

03/11/2026 | 3:30:00 | Women's Basketball

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. – It is tournament time for Southern Illinois women's basketball (10-19, 7-13). On Thursday, they begin their run at the Credit Union 1 MVC Women's Basketball Tournament in Coralville, Iowa, and their first matchup is versus #9 Indiana State (9-21, 5-15) at 3:30 p.m.

Details
-What: Women's Basketball versus #9 Indiana State (Credit Union 1 MVC Tournament – Round 1)
-Date: March 12
-Time: 3:30 p.m.
-Location: Xtream Arena, Coralville, Iowa
-Opponent: #9 Indiana State University Sycamores
-Live Results: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=652089&vislive=silu
-Watch: ESPN+
-Listen: The Varsity Network

Season Review
Southern finished the 2025-26 regular season with an overall record of 10-19 while they went 7-13 in conference play. The season opened with a win over Division II Lewis, 69-53, on November 4. SIU then proceeded to drop their next six games, including losses to SEC schools like Missouri (November 18) and Arkansas (November 26). The Salukis picked up their first Division I win of the season on December with a 76-71 win over rival SEMO.

Conference play opened on December 18 with a loss at Bradley. Following a non-conference win over Judson, SIU lost their next Valley games between December 29 and January 8. However, Southern's win over Valparaiso on January 10 kicked off a hot streak for the Salukis. In their eight games between January 10 and February 13, SIU only lost to Murray State twice. Highlights of that stretch include a buzzer-beating win at UIC on February 5 and a 24-point drubbing of Illinois State on February 13.

However, following that blowout of Illinois State on February 15, Southern fell in their next six games, including double-digit losses to UNI, Illinois State, Drake, and Belmont. The regular season ended on a high note for SIU though, who traveled to and beat Evansville, 75-69, in the regular season finale on March 8.

With their 7-13 MVC record in hand, SIU secured the eighth seed in the tournament and sealed a first round date with #9 Indiana State.

Postseason Honors
Once the regular season ended, three Salukis earned postseason honors from The Valley. Kelowna Ngoyi, Alayna Kraus, and Karris Allen were all named MVC Scholar-Athletes, while Kraus also earned a spot on the All-MVC Third-Team.

Season Statistical Leaders

Points-per-game: Alayna Kraus (15.5)
Assists-per-game: Tkiyah Nelson (4.2)
Rebounds-per-game: Indya Green (8.9)
Steals: Kayla Cooper (46)
Blocks: Indya Green (19)
3-pointers made: Kayla Cooper (42)
Minutes-per-game: Alayna Kraus (33.9)

The Matchup
Southern holds a 10-game advantage over the Sycamores all-time, leading 58-48. The teams split their regular season series this year, with SIU winning at home on January 22, 86-74, while Indiana State took the game in Terra Haute, Indiana, 81-73, on February 21.

Overall, SIU holds a 5-2 lead over Indiana State in the MVC Tournament. The two met in the playoffs just two seasons ago in 2024, when Indiana State won 66-54 in the opening round of the tournament in Moline, Illinois. Despite that game taking place less than two years ago, the only two players from that matchup remaining on either roster are SIU's Nelson and Angela Samuel; Nelson is the only one of that duo to appear in that contest. The Salukis won their previous playoff match in 2023.

Indiana State rolls into the tournament with a 9-21 overall record while they are 5-15 in Valley play. After beating Southern on February 21, the Sycamores dropped their last three games of the regular season to Murray State, Belmont, and UNI. Their tournament win over SIU in 2024 is also their last win in the playoffs, having lost to #1 Drake in that year's quarterfinals and then falling to #6 UNI in the opening round of the 2025 tournament.

SIU in the Tournament
Southern currently rides a three-game losing streak in the MVC tournament, with their last win coming over Indiana State in the opening round of the 2023 playoffs in head coach Kelly Bond-White's first year at the helm. The Salukis' last MVC Tournament Championship came in 1990 when they defeated Illinois State 71-54. Their last trip to the championship game came in 1993 when they lost to Southwest Missouri State, now Missouri State, for a third straight year.

What Would Be Next
If Southern wins their opening round over Indiana State, they will face #1 Murray State on Friday, March 13, at 12 p.m. The winner of that game would face the winner of #4 UNI and #5 Bradley in the semifinals on Saturday, March 14, at 1:30 p.m. The championship game takes place on Sunday, March 15, at 1 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.