Starting Five - Storylines for the SIU Game
1) The 25th-ranked Missouri State Lady Bears (8-2, 4-0 Missouri Valley Conference) are off to a 4-0 league start for a third consecutive season and host Southern Illinois (5-4, 2-2) in a rare Wednesday afternoon contest with a 3 p.m. start at JQH Arena.
2) Missouri State is 58-9 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, ranking 10th nationally in total wins since that date and seventh in winning percentage (.866). Six teams ahead of the Lady Bears on the wins list have been ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll over that span.
3) MSU is 18-1 at home under Coach Mox after a 16-0 start that registered as the longest win streak at JQH Arena and sixth in school history. Since the start of last season, MSU's 18-1 home record has come by an average score of 80.2-60.2 with a plus-11.9 rebound margin. Additionally, the Lady Bears have out-scored the opposition 164-74 over the first four minutes of the last 19 home games, and have a plus-7.2 first quarter scoring margin overall this season.
4) Missouri State has won the rebounding battle in eight of 10 games this year and 34 of the last 40, with a plus-11.1 margin this season ahead of the school-record pace (+9.9) and a .800 defensive rebounding percentage that ranks second nationally after leading the NCAA last year with a .773 mark.
5) No team has scored more than 72 points against MSU this season despite the Lady Bears being the only team nationally to play every game against a top 70 NET team (excluding non-Division I games). MSU is one of 11 teams with at least seven top-100 NET wins, and has faced top-31 offenses in Maryland (1st - 92.0), FGCU (17th - 81.6) and Drake (31st - 77.8). Still, the Lady Bears rank second in the MVC in scoring defense (59.1), field goal defense (.370) and 3-point defense (.262).
The Opponent
Southern Illinois is 5-4 overall and 2-2 MVC play, and has not played since Jan. 9 due to positive COVID test results within the program. The Salukis have a pair of 1,000-point scorers on their roster in seniors Makenzie Silvey and Abby Brockmeyer. Silvey averages a team-high 14.1 points and Brockmeyer follows with 12.4 points and 8.7 boards. As a team, SIU averages 62.7 points and allows 62.9, shooting 39 percent overall, 29.6 percent on 3-pointers and 65.3 percent at the foul line with a plus-2.0 rebound margin.
Series History
Missouri State is 55-29 all-time against the Salukis with a 32-11 record in Springfield. The Lady Bears have won the last 13 meetings in Springfield with a 12-0 record in games at JQH Arena.
Lace Up for Cancer
The Lady Bears will wear gold shoelaces in Wednesday's game to support the
Go4theGoal Foundation to help kids battling cancer.
    Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer began in the fall of 2011. Since then, professional, college and youth teams have participated in raising funds and awareness for the #1 disease killer of children. To date, over a half million athletes have supported our cause. $4 from every $5 pair of laces and 100% of all donations directly benefit kids and families in the state where the funds are raised.
    Go4theGoal works to improve the lives of children battling cancer by providing financial assistance, granting special wishes, developing unique hospital programs, and funding innovative research. Learn more about Go4theGoal and how you can help to make a difference by visiting
Go4theGoal.org.
