Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois University (SIU) women's basketball team faced a challenging start to their Missouri Valley Conference play, experiencing a 69-51 defeat against Valparaiso. The match took place on Sunday in Valparaiso, Indiana, marking SIU's overall record at 2-8 and conference record at 0-1.

Gift Uchenna was a standout performer for the Salukis, achieving 21 points and securing 21 rebounds. This remarkable rebounding feat ties for the second most in a single game in the program's history. The last time an SIU player reached this mark was Dyana Pierre on November 21, 2015, against Tennessee State.

Se'Quoia Allmond contributed 11 points, being the only other SIU player to score in double digits during the game.

Valparaiso displayed superior shooting accuracy throughout the contest. They outperformed Southern Illinois with a field goal percentage of 47% compared to SIU's 32%, and from beyond the arc, they led significantly with 45% to SIU’s mere 7%.

The hosts started strongly in the first quarter by scoring 21 points and hitting four out of nine three-point attempts. In contrast, SIU scored only 15 points with a field-goal percentage of .278. Uchenna led her team with eight points during this period.

In the second quarter, Southern Illinois managed to contain Valpo's offense somewhat, limiting them to just 15 points on a shooting percentage of 37.5%. Despite this defensive effort, SIU could not capitalize offensively and ended up trailing at halftime with a score of 36-26.

During the first half alone, Uchenna recorded impressive statistics with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Valparaiso achieved their highest scoring output in the third quarter by adding another 22 points compared to Southern Illinois' contribution of only 15. Their efficiency was evident as they shot at rates of 57% from the field and an even more notable performance from three-point range at 60%, extending their lead to take a commanding position into the fourth quarter with a scoreline of 58-41.

Both teams found it difficult to maintain offensive momentum in the final quarter; however, Valpo edged out SIU by scoring one point more—ending the game with an overall score of 69-51.

Looking ahead, the Salukis will host Murray State on Thursday, January 2nd at home for their first game in the new year.

Fans can stay updated on all things related to Saluki women's basketball by following their social media platforms or downloading their mobile app available on major app stores.