Starting Five - Storylines for the Southern Illinois Game
1) Off to a 4-0 Missouri Valley Conference start for the second consecutive year, the No. 17/19 Missouri State Lady Bears (14-2, 4-0 MVC) open a three-game road swing Friday at 6 p.m. with a visit to Southern Illinois (9-6, 1-3). The Lady Bears are now 38-5 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, ranking third nationally in total wins since that date, and have been ranked No. 1 in the RPI since Jan. 11.
2) The Lady Bears have shot 40 percent or better 14 times and scored at least 68 points in 15 of 16 games this season. Through Jan. 14, MSU ranks 25th nationally in scoring offense (77.2), eighth in 3-point percentage (.393), 40th in field goal percentage (.446) and 25th in foul shooting (.761).
3) Missouri State has won the rebounding battle in 14 of 16 games this season and owns a plus-9.4 margin on the glass this year after ranking second in school history at plus-8.3 last season. The Lady Bears rank third nationally in defensive rebounding rate at .766, and 19th in rebound margin.
4) The Lady Bears are off to their best start since the 2003-04 team opened 20-1, and best home start at 8-0 since that same club finished 17-0 in Springfield. Missouri State's 10 wins prior to MVC play are the most in school history.
5) MSU brings a school-record 13-game MVC road winning streak into Friday's game, the last loss at Drake on Feb. 4, 2018. Missouri State is 35-7 in its last 42 away conference contests. Overall, the Lady Bears are 16-2 in their last 18 true road games and 22-3 in the last 25 games away from home. The losses are at the hands of No. 6 Stanford in the 2019 Sweet 16, No. 7 Oregon State in the 2019 Preseason WNIT championship game, and 17th-ranked Gonzaga, all by 12 points or fewer.
Series History
Missouri State is 54-28 all-time against Southern Illinois with a 21-17 record in Carbondale. The Lady Bears have won 14 of the last 16 in the series since 2012, the losses coming on the road in 2016 and 2018.
Scouting SIU
Southern Illinois is 9-6 overall, 1-3 in MVC play and rated 93rd in the latest RPI, making them MSU's ninth top-100 opponent this season as of the Jan. 15 rankings. Makenzie Silvey averages 16.7 points per game with 36 3-pointers, preseason all-MVC pick Nicole Martin adds 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds, and Abby Brockmeyer grabs a team-high 7.7 boards with 10.3 points. As a team, the Salukis score 71.8 points per game and allow 63.7, shooting 44 percent overall, 34.4 percent on 3-pointers and 65.6 percent at the foul line with a plus-2.5 rebound margin.
Â
