CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois University women’s basketball team (3-4) is back at home on Wednesday at 11 a.m. to host SIUE in the Field Trip Day game at the Banterra Center.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

• Southern Illinois’ game against SIUE can be watched on ESPN+ on Wednesday. Dominic Hoscher (play-by-play), Mike Trude (analyst), and Amanda Pozniak (sideline) will be on the call. 
• The Wednesday matchup will also be on NewsRadio WJPF 107.9 FM with Larry Larson doing the broadcasting duties. 

QUICK HITS 

• Southern Illinois returns home after a three-game road trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Wednesday to host the Cougars. SIU is 1-3 at home to start the season. 
• The Salukis posted a 2-1 record while in Puerto Rico, earning wins over Charlotte and George Washington. Over the three-game stretch, SIU allowed just 60.0 points-per-game, holding both Charlotte and George Washington to fewer than 60 points. 
• Laniah Randle paced the Salukis with an average of 24.7 points-per-game during the week. This led to Randle receiving her first-career Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honor. 
• Randle is the first Saluki to receive MVC Player of the Week honors since Abby Brockmeyer did on Feb. 21, 2022, for the second time in the 2021-22 season. 
• SIU enters the game with a record of 3-4 overall and are sitting in ninth in the MVC. Illinois State is in first at 6-2. 
• As a team, Southern is averaging 67.9 points-per-game, which ranks seventh in the Valley. In terms of scoring defense, SIU is fifth at 68.4 points-per-game allowed. 
• SIU is third in the Valley in turnover margin (3.43), and are forcing 20.9 turnovers-per-game. The latter is tied for 40th in the nation. 
• Southern Illinois is top five in the MVC in steals, assists, and blocks so far this season. SIU is third in steals (11.29), fifth in blocks (3.29), and fifth in assists (14.57). 
• Wednesday’s game is Field Trip Day, with north of 4.9k kids from local elementary schools expected at the Banterra Center. 

LEADING THE SALUKIS 

• Laniah Randle, the reigning the MVC Player of the Week, is third in the conference in scoring at 17.0 points-per-game. Randle has scored at least 22 points in three-straight games and has scored in double-figures in six of her seven games this season. 
• Randle is also second in the Valley in rebounding (8.9). The average is tied for 62nd in the NCAA. 
• Jaidynn Mason has played in two games for SIU so far in 2023-24, averaging 15.5 points, 3.5 steals, and 2.5 assists-per-game. 
• Quierra Love leads the MVC in steals-per-game (3.1), which is also tied for 18th in the NCAA. Love has posted two or more steals in five games, including a career-high seven vs. Charlotte on Nov. 23. 
• Love is also fourth on the team in scoring at 8.6 points-per-game, and leads the team in assists-per-game (4.9). The assists average is tied for second in the MVC and ranks 59th in the nation. 
• Seairra Hughes is leading the Valley in field-goal percentage (.608), and has shot at least 50% from the field in five of seven games. Hughes is also averaging 12.0 points-per-game, and has scored at least 10 points in five games. 
• The Salukis’ roster is made up of four seniors, five juniors, one sophomore, and three freshmen. SIU’s four seniors are Williams, Love, Adrianna Katcher, and Sydney Prochaska. 

LOOKING AT SIUE 

• The Cougars hold a record of 2-7 on the season, and are 0-5 away from home. 
• SIUE snapped a five-game losing streak in its last game on Dec. 3, when the Cougars defeated Northern Illinois, 89-79. The 89 points are the most SIUE has scored since Nov. 12 vs. Evansville, when SIUE put up 91. 
• Macy Silvey, the younger sister of SIU all-time leading scorer Mackenzie Silvey, has started in all nine games for the Cougars this season. 
• KK Rodriguez is the team’s leading scorer at 23.0 points-per-game, which ranks ninth in the nation. 
• Samantha Quiqley Smith is in her third season as the program’s head coach, and has an overall record of 24-47. 

SERIES HISTORY

• This will be the eighth meeting all-time between the two programs. SIU is 4-3 against Cougars. 
• This will be the first meeting since 2019 between the two teams. 

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_WBasketball, on Instagram at @SIU_WBasketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the “Salukis” Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.