Missouri State wraps up its first trip through the Missouri Valley Conference schedule Friday at 6 p.m. when the Lady Bears visit Southern Illinois for a battle of teams in the thick of the league race.
   MSU (11-8, 7-1 MVC) has won 10 of its last 12 games and is tied with Drake with seven league victories, though the Bulldogs have yet to suffer a loss. SIU sits within striking distance at 11-8, 6-2 MVC, while no other MVC club has more than four conference wins.
   A victory would give the Lady Bears an 8-1 record at the MVC's midpoint for the first time since 2005, while MSU (+5.38) and the Salukis (+4.63) rank 1-2 in turnover margin in league games.
 Â
Series History
MSU leads the all-time series with SIU 51-27, including a 20-16 record in Carbondale. The Lady Bears are 11-1 in their last 12 games against the Salukis.
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is 11-8 overall and 6-2 in MVC play, with identical results to MSU with the exception of an SIU loss at Illinois State. The Salukis have four players averaging between 10.7 and 11.2 points per game, and rank among the league leaders in turnovers forced at 17.3 per game. As a team, SIU scores 64.9 points and allows 63.3, shooting 40.7 percent overall, 31.8 percent on 3-pointers and 67.4 percent from the foul line.Â
Â
