Feb. 18, 2015
Game notes - Southern Illinois
Game notes - Illinois State (available by 5 p.m. Saturday)
Missouri State Lady Bears (10-13/7-5 MVC) at
Southern Illinois Salukis (15-9/8-5 MVC), 6 p.m. Friday
Illinois State Redbirds (1-23/1-12 MVC), 2 p.m. Sunday
Locations: Carbondale, Ill. | Normal, Ill.
Site: SIU Arena (8,339) | Redbird Arena (10,000)
Radio: KTXR 101.3 FM (SIU) | KWTO 98.7 FM (ISU)
Live Stats: |
ISU The Missouri State Lady Bears (10-13, 7-5 MVC) head to Illinois this weekend for a pair of key late-season Missouri Valley Conference contests.
The Lady Bears and Southern Illinois (15-9, 8-5) square off at 6 p.m. Friday in a game that could see the winner move as high as third in the league standings by the end of the night, as only one game separates MSU, SIU and UNI between third and fifth. Missouri State beat SIU, 61-57, on Jan. 23 in Springfield.
Sunday, the Lady Bears visit Illinois State (1-23, 1-12) for a 2 p.m. game at Redbird Arena. Missouri State won the season's first meeting, 58-35, on Jan. 25 in Springfield.
Series Histories
MSU leads the all-time series with SIU 47-26, including an 18-15 record in Carbondale. The Lady Bears have won six in a row in the series.
Missouri State leads Illinois State 36-31 in the all-time series and has won six of the last nine meetings. MSU trails 14-18 in Normal, but won in Redbird Arena in 2012 and 2014.
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is 15-9 overall and 8-5 in MVC play after winning its last six games. The Salukis are led by the MVC's leading rebounder in preseason all-MVC forward Dyana Pierre, who averages 14.9 points and 11.8 rebounds, and guard Rishonda Napier leads SIU in scoring at 17.3 points per contest. SIU leads the league in rebounding margin at plus-5.8 per game, and averages 67.4 points compared to 66.8 for the opposition while shooting 42.3 percent overall, 34.2 percent on 3-pointers and 69.3 percent from the foul line.
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State is 1-23 on the season and 1-12 in MVC play. Octavia Crump leads the Redbirds with 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while Katy Winge is close behind at 10.6 points per contest. As a team, the Redbirds score 51.2 points per game and allow 70.3 while shooting 32.8 percent overall, 28.4 percent from beyond the arc and 66.2 percent from the foul line.
First Meetings This Season Missouri State topped SIU by a 61-57 final on Jan. 23 in Springfield.
Hillary Chvatal had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards, and the Lady Bears went 15-for-21 from the foul line in the second half to secure the win, including three in the final 16.9 seconds after SIU closed to a 58-57 deficit.
Missouri State closed the Jan. 25 meeting between the schools on a 22-2 run for a 58-35 victory over the Redbirds. It was MSU's best defensive effort since 2004, and
Tyonna Snow grabbed six of the team's season-high 16 steals.
Kenzie Williams scored a team-high 12 points.
