WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 • 4:30 p.m. CST
WHERE: Chaifetz Arena • St. Louis, Missouri
RECORDS: SLU 1-0; ISU 1-0
SLU-ISU SERIES: ISU leads 7-4
SLU-ISU LAST MEETING: SLU 60, at ISU 59 (11/10/17) RECAP
BILLIKENS’ LAST GAME: SLU 70, at Eastern Kentucky 43 (Nov. 9) RECAP
SYCAMORES’ LAST GAME: ISU 62, at Marshall 53 (Nov. 7) RECAP
UP NEXT FOR THE BILLIKENS: Cincinnati • Sunday, Nov. 18 • 2 p.m. CST • Chaifetz Arena
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
A LOOK AT THE BILLIKENS
• Following an impressive debut in a win at Eastern Kentucky last Friday, the Saint Louis Billikens look to improve to 2-0 on the young season when they host Indiana State Tuesday, Nov. 13. Tip time at Chaifetz Arena for the 2018-19 home opener is 4:30 p.m.
• The SLU men’s team follows with a 7 p.m. contest vs. North Alabama.
• Ciaja Harbison was named this season’s first Atlantic 10 Conference women’s basketball Rookie of the Week on Monday. Playing 36 minutes vs. Eastern Kentucky, Harbison scored 17 points including a 7-of-7 performance from the free throw line, grabbed six rebounds, led all players with three steals and tied for game-high honors with four assists.
• Kendra Wilken was an A-10 Player of the Week candidate for her performance vs. Eastern Kentucky. In just 17 minutes on the floor, Wilken scored a career- and game-high 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and tied her career high of six rebounds.
• Saint Louis’ 27-point victory margin over Eastern Kentucky was its largest in a season opener since the 2009-10 Billikens defeated Southern Illinois by 26 points.
• The Billikens are 32-11 in home openers overall and 7-3 in home debuts at Chaifetz Arena.
• Six Billikens returned from last year’s team that posted a 17-16 overall record, finished seventh (9-7) in the A-10 and made a third straight WNIT appearance.
• The returning group includes senior guard Jordyn Frantz (8.2 ppg, 2.4 apg, 47 3-pointers in 2017-18) and redshirt-senior guard Kerri McMahan (4.4 ppg). Frantz was selected to the A-10 preseason All-Conference third team, while McMahan was a preseason All-Defensive pick.
• Joining Frantz and McMahan in the group that saw game action last season are senior center Tara Dusharm (4.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, .527 FG shooting), junior forward Kendra Wilken and sophomore guards Tasia Jeffries and Lauryn Hughes.
• Redshirt-junior center Amber Lindfors is active after sitting out last season following her transfer from Valparaiso, where she started 57 games. Lindfors led the Horizon League in blocks in each of her two seasons at Valpo, swatting 71 shots as a freshman and 70 as a sophomore. She was selected to the league’s All-Defensive team, averaged 7.8 points and 7.5 rebounds, and led the Crusaders in field goal percentage (.477) as a sophomore.
• SLU’s freshman class, ranked 33rd in the nation by highly regarded evaluation service Blue Star Basketball, is composed of guards Myia Clark, Ciaja Harbison and Chloe Rice, forward/center Brooke Flowers and forward Evan Zars.
• Sophomore forward Myriama Smith Traore will sit out the season after transferring from Marquette.
• Seventh-year head coach Lisa Stone brings a 108-86 record at Saint Louis into Tuesday’s game. Now in her 33rd season as a collegiate head coach, Stone owns a 611-323 career mark.
A LOOK AT THE SYCAMORES
• Indiana State was picked to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Sycamores returned four starters and four additional players from last year’s team that finished 11-19 overall and 9-9 (fifth place) in the MVC.
• The Sycamores are led by first-year head coach Vicki Hall, formerly the associate head coach at Toledo.
• Ashli O’Neal earned an MVC honorable mention nod last season.
• ISU featured a balanced attack in its season-opening victory over Marshall. Regan Wentland and Alexis Delgadoscored 13 points apiece, Ashli O’Neal tallied 11 and Tamara Lee chipped in nine. Wentland and Lynn Tamis collected 13 and eight rebounds, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY
• Indiana State leads the all-time series 7-4. The teams have met six times during the past six seasons, including twice in the 2014-15 campaign.
• The Sycamores have won four of those six recent games, including all three at Chaifetz Arena. Both of the Billikens’ victories during that stretch were at Indiana State’s Hulman Center. Four of the six were decided by three or fewer points.
• Last year in Terre Haute, Saint Louis edged Indiana State 60-59 in the season opener. Maddison Gits scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds to lead the Billikens.
