TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State women's basketball team is set to travel to Carbondale to take on the Salukis in Missouri Valley Conference action Sunday. Tip-off with the Salukis is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET inside the SIU Arena. The game can be seen live world-wide on The Valley On ESPN3 while Luke Martin will have the radio play-by-play on WIBQ 1230 AM in the Wabash Valley.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Sycamores and Southern Illinois have met 88 times in the series going back to 1969. Both Indiana State and SIU have 44 wins in the series with the Salukis winning four straight after the Sycamores reeled off 11-straight wins from 2010-2014.
 
LOOKING AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Southern Illinois comes into the game with a 7-5 overall record, and a 1-0 record in MVC play after a 73-57 win over Loyola. SIU is also boasts a nice home-court advantage with a 5-1 mark inside the SIU Arena. SIU is led by Kylie Giebelhausen and Rishonda Napier who average 13.0 points per game. Kim Nebo adds 12 points a game and leads the team in rebounds with 8.2.
 
PUTTING ON THE CLAMPS
The Sycamores currently rank first in the Missouri Valley Conference, holding opponents just 60.8 points per game through 12 games this season. The Sycamores are also leading the conference field goal percent defense, allowing the opposition to shoot just 36.4 percent from the floor.
 
SWAT TEAM
Indiana State as a whole has recorded 54 blocks as a team this year to lead the Missouri Valley. Their 4.5 blocks per game are the most by any team in the league and 71st-best in the country. The Sycamores top paint protector is Wendi Bibbins who has 13 blocks while her counterpart Rhagen Smith has swatted away 11 shots. A total of 10 players have recorded blocks this year for the Sycamores.
 
REBOUND AND WIN
The Sycamores are a perfect 4-1 when cleaning up on the glass this season and just 2-5 when getting outrebounded. As a team ISU sits in sixth place in the conference with 39.2 rebounds per contest while leading the MVC with 27.6 defensive rebounds per game. Wendi Bibbins leads the squad with 8.4 rebounds per contest.
 
CONSISTENCY
Ashley Taia, the Sycamores' leading scorer has been the most consistent offense for ISU this season. In 12 games, Taia has scored in double-figures eight times including a season best 23 points at Miami (OH). The Brisbane, Australia native also scored 19 on 8-of-10 shooting at EIU earlier in the season. She ranks 10th in the conference in scoring with 11.8 points per game. Taia has also assisted on 15 baskets in the past 5 games, which is doubled from her total in 7 games prior to this stretch.
 
PULLIN THEM DOWN
From day one junior Wendi Bibbins has made her presence known in the paint on the boards. The junior has recorded a pair of double-doubles this season and has snagged double-digit rebounds in five games, including a season-best 14 boards at Florida Atlantic. She ranks second in the MVC in rebounding (8.7), eighth in field goal percent (47.2) and 17th in scoring (10.3).
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Women's Basketball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram