The Southern Illinois women’s basketball team renews its regional rivalry with the St. Louis Billikens Thursday night at Chaifetz Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in the first meeting between the two schools since 2010.

All-time vs. the Billikens

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• Thursday’s contest will mark the 20th all-time meeting between the Salukis and the Billikens and the first since 2010.
• The Salukis lead the all-time series, 12-8. Series dates back to 1970.
• Southern is 5-5 all-time at St. Louis with its last win on SLU’s home court coming on Dec. 29, 2003- a 68-65 win in which Dana Pinkston poured in 22 points while Katie Berwanger added 16 points and eight boards.
• The Billikens have won four of the last five meetings between the two schools, including the most recent matchup- a 66-39 win in Carbondale on Dec. 2, 2010.
• Thursday’s matchup will be the first time in either SIU head coach Cindy Stein and/or SLU head coach Lisa Stone’s tenures that St. Louis and SIU have tangled.

All-time vs. the Atlantic 10

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• The Salukis are 12-8 all-time vs. Atlantic 10 foes, as the only A-10 program that Southern has faced is St. Louis.

Coach Stein vs. the A-10

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• Head coach Cindy Stein is 9-0 lifetime against Atlantic 10 teams with a 6-0 all-time record vs. St. Louis. All 9 wins came while at Mizzou.
• Stein also boasts a 2-0 record against Duquesne and a win over Davidson.

Scouting the Billikens

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• The Billikens are 2-4 on the season and snapped a four game skid with a 67-65 win over Virginia on Nov. 25.
• Through six games, Saint Louis leads the A-10 in three-point field goal percentage (35.4%).
• Jordyn Frantz leads the Billikens in scoring, and ranks ninth in the A-10, at 13.5 points per game. 63% of her points come from three-point range. Frantz had a game-high 18 points in the win over the Cavaliers.
• Ciaja Harbinson was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for the second time this season after she averaged 13.3 points, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals in SLU’s three games last week.
• Opponents are averaging 9.3 offensive rebounds per game vs. the Billikens – which is the 17th-most nationally given up.

Nice to see you again

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• Saint Louis assistant coach Kat Martin was on Cindy Stein‘s coaching staff for four years from 2013-17.
• The Salukis posted back-to-back WBI appearances during Martin’s time on staff and she helped coach nine All-MVC selections.

First win over American East Conference Foe

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• The Salukis led from start to finish in a 72-50 win over the Hartford Hawks at the South Point Shootout on Black Friday.
• It was SIU’s first win in Las Vegas since 1990, and Southern’s first-ever victory over an American East Conference foe.
• It also marked the first coaching win for head coach Cindy Stein over a AEC foe, and she has now recorded at least one victory over schools from 29 of the 32 DI conferences.

This Day in Saluki WBB History

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• On Nov. 29, 1985- the Salukis toppled No. 16 San Diego State, 76-55 inside Davies Gym.
• Southern had four score in double-figures, led by 23 points from Petra Jackson. Jackson also added 10 boards and five assists.
• SIU shot 46.3% from the field in the win and held the Aztecs to 38.2% from the floor.
• It was a wire-to-wire win for the Salukis, who led by as many as 23 to knock off the 16th-ranked Aztecs.
• It was the second of now seven Saluki victories over ranked opponents.

Strong Start

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• Brittney Patrick has started all six games at point guard for the Salukis and is averaging the most minutes (31.0/game) on the team.
• The Bolingbrook, Ill. native currently leads the league in assists per game (5.0).
• She is also second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.31) and total assists (30).
• She also tied her career-bests in rebounds (5) and defensive rebounds (2) against Arizona State.

Cleaning Glass

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• The Salukis snagged 26 offensive rebounds against Western Kentucky – their most in a game since Jan. 26, 2014 vs. Evansville.
• Nicole Martin (7) and Lauren Hartman (4) both either set or tied career-bests in the category.
• Southern grabbed a season-high 47 rebounds and won the rebounding battle by 15 boards (47-to-32).
• The Salukis followed by dominating the glass against Hartford, out-rebounding the Hawks, 44-to-27.
• SIU’s +17 rebound margin was its best of the season and the highest since posting a +20 margin in a 73-57 win over Loyola on Dec. 30, 2016.

The more the merrier

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• Southern has had at least three scorers reach double figures in five of six games this season and have had four tally double-digit points in four of six games this season.

Ball Movement is Key

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• The Salukis had three players dish out five or more assists in a game for the second time this season, as Brittney Patrick (6), Abby Brockmeyer (5) and Payton McCallister (5) all did so against Hartford.
• Southern also had three players record five or more assists against UT Martin – which was the first time it had happened since 1989.

Making them count

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• Nicole Martin is shooting at a 58.5% clip to open the season- which leads the MVC.
• All of Martin’s 38 field goals are from inside the arc.
• Martin recorded her third career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Western Kentucky.
• Martin’s streak of 13-straight games scoring in double figures came to an end in the loss to Arizona State.

Double-Double Machine

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• Abby Brockmeyer recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best five assists in the win over Hartford.
• She is the first player in program history to open a season with three-straight double-doubles.
• It was Brockmeyer’s ninth career double-double and her four double-doubles this season rank her first in the MVC and ninth nationally.

Protecting the Rim

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• The Salukis are currently second in the league in blocks (20).
• SIU has only once led the league in blocks – doing so during the 1988-89 season.
• SIU’s eight blocks vs. Marshall were a season-high.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Southern Illinois men’s basketball team scored 44 points in the paint and out-rebounded Colorado State by 17 in a 15-point win over the Rams. Five Salukis scored in double-figures, led by Armon Fletcher‘s game-high 20 points. SIU’s win, along with Drake’s over Boise State, gives the Missouri Valley Conference an early 2-1 lead in the MVC-Mountain West Conference Challenge. 

In the first half, Colorado State (4-3) shot a blistering 59 percent–the only time SIU has surrendered better than 50 percent shooting in any half this season–and made seven 3-pointers. But Southern (4-3) also played nearly flawless offense, shooting 63 percent from the field and committing only three turnovers. SIU closed the half on an 8-2 run over the final two minutes to take a 45-40 lead into the break. 

SIU slowly separated in the second half. Sean Lloyd Jr.’s 3-pointer with eight minutes to play capped a 15-5 run that put the Salukis up by 15 points, 67-52. Southern’s smothering defense held CSU to 40.9 percent shooting in the second half. 

“At halftime, we talked about how we have to take this game away defensively,” SIU head coach Barry Hinsonsaid. “You have to be able to get collective stops.”

A balanced SIU offense showcased unselfishness (23 assists) while committing only eight turnovers. Lloyd (13), Fletcher (20), Aaron Cook (15), Kavion Pippen (16) and Eric McGill (10) all scored in double figures for SIU. Pippen went 8-for-11 from the field, and McGill stuffed the stat sheet with 4-for-6 shooting, a career-high seven assists, and five rebounds. 

“We moved the ball well because we have good guards,” Hinson said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with coaching; it has everything to do with players. We have good players and they move the ball. The most important thing is they’re so unselfish. Eric McGill had a wide open layup and turned it down to give to Armon for a dunk. That’s pretty unselfish.”

SIU shot 57.6 percent for the game and hit nine 3-pointers. Cook was 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from the 3-point line. Notably, the home team in all games of the MVC-MWC Challenge had been 20-0 over the past two seasons, but the Salukis pulled out a road win in the challenge tonight.

Southern Illinois travels to Edwardsville to face sister school SIUE on Saturday, December 1. Tip is set for 2 p.m. CT. The stretch is the fourth game in a row SIU will be away from home, after two games in Las Vegas, tonight, and Saturday at Edwardsville. 

“We have to win on the road,” Hinson said. “We knew this was a big stretch, a four-game road stretch. We have a chance to come out of that 3-1, and we think that would be pretty special. We’re going to enjoy this one tonight, and we’re going to get up in the morning and start working on Edwardsville.”