Missouri State Lady Bears (8-5, 3-1 MVC) vs. Southern Illinois Salukis (6-7, 3-1 MVC)
Date and Time	Wednesday, January 11 | 6 p.m. CT
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Mo.
Tickets	Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office
Promotions	Wear White | 2022-23 Promotional Calendar
Fan Info.	Digital Game Program
Radio	KBFL 96.9 FM (Tom Ladd, Lynne Miller) | Listen Live | Varsity Network
TV	ESPN+ (Mike McClure, Carly Stubblefield) | Watch
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Missouri State	Game Notes | Women's Basketball Home Page
Southern Illinois	Women's Basketball Home Page
Up Next	Saturday, Jan. 14 at Valparaiso, 1 p.m. CT | Tickets

Starting Five - Storylines for the Southern Illinois Game
1) The Missouri State Lady Bears continue to have success on the boards this season. MSU ranks 6th nationally and 1st in the Missouri Valley Conference with 17.8 offensive rebounds per game, while ranking 2nd in the conference and 19th in the country in total rebound average with 43.4 per game. Missouri State also owns a +10.8 rebound margin, which is second in the conference and 12th nationally. Rebounding has been an advantage for the Lady Bears over the years, as they have out-rebounded 68 of their last 79 MVC opponents and won the rebounding battle 114 times in their last 137 contests overall.

2) Missouri State sophomore Kennedy Taylor earned her second MVC Newcomer of the Week honor of the season after averaging 20.5 points and 13.5 rebounds last week against Illinois State and Bradley. She tied her career high of 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting against the Braves and ranks 1st in the MVC and 19th nationally with 3.9 offensive rebounds per game. 

3) Since the beginning of the 2017-18 season, MSU has compiled a 61-11 record inside Great Southern Bank Arena, while boasting a 40-5 record since the start of the 2019-20 season. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, MSU's 40-5 home record has come by an average score of 72.0-55.0 with a plus-11.8 rebound margin.

4) Fifth-year senior Sydney Wilson sits in second place all-time in career wins with 107 as a Lady Bear, trailing only Brice Calip (2017-22) who owns 122 career wins. Wilson is also just 35 points shy of the 1,000-point mark for her career. 

5) Missouri State's transfers have made a major impact this season as MSU has collected four MVC Newcomer of the Week honors by three different players (Green, Taylor (2) and Thomas). Thomas leads the team in points per game (13.1), assists (60) and steals (35), while Taylor is shooting a team-high 54% from the field. Green and Taylor are also tied with 4 double-doubles each on the season. 

Series History
    Missouri State leads the all-time series against Southern Illinois, 59-30, including a 34-11 advantage in Springfield. MSU and SIU split the series last season with each team winning at home, as SIU won 65-49 in Carbondale (2/4/22) and MSU won 53-52 in Springfield (2/6/22).
    Fifth-year senior Sydney Wilson scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds against SIU at home last season.

The Opponent 
    Southern Illinois is 6-7 overall, but the Salukis are off to a 3-1 start in conference play. SIU is coming off a three-point loss to Illinois State in Carbondale. Ashley Jones and Shemera Williams lead the Salukis in scoring with 15.4 and 13.3 ppg, respectively, while Promise Taylor and Laniah Randle pull down a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game.     As a team, SIU owns a -0.2 rebounding margin and averages 74.3 ppg. The Salukis shoot .422 from the field, .342 from three and .687 from the free throw line.