In the midst of a nine-game losing streak, the SIU women’s basketball team will attempt to put the pieces together and come up with its first Missouri Valley Conference victory when it travels to Bradley and Northern Iowa for a weekend road trip.

It has multiple problems to solve, though, including an inability to play smart, team basketball.

“We’re not a very cohesive unit right now on the court,” said head coach Lori Opp. “They have good chemistry off the floor, but our chemistry on the court has not come together for whatever reason. We talk about our practice habits a lot and I think that plays a big role in how we play the games.”

Inconsistency has also pestered the Salukis all season.

“We’re successful for stretches of time and then we get away from that,” said senior guard Molly McDowell. “Then they go on big runs and our confidence gets shaken.”

But there is reason to think that SIU will begin to rack up some wins. McDowell is the only Saluki who’s averaging double-figure scoring, but that could change.

Center Tiffany Crutcher should provide a consistent second scoring threat. Crutcher had been hobbling with a foot injury but returned to the starting lineup and pulled off a double double Tuesday night.

Her 11 points and 13 rebounds kept the Salukis in the game early on, but Middle Tennessee State’s defense didn’t let her catch the ball later in the game as the Lady Raiders pulled away for an 87-63 victory.

“I thought she did a nice job,” said Opp. “Crutch is our most consistent post player inside. When she gets her hands on it, she’s going to get the shot off and it’s typically going to go in.”

Her continued improvement could be important if the Salukis want to make their move up in the Missouri Valley Conference pack, which could happen this weekend, as the next two Saluki opponents are within striking distance.

Bradley sits at 9th place, while Northern Iowa is in 7th place.

Both teams are fresh off the vaunted Southwest Missouri State/Wichita State road swing.

First up for the Salukis is a Friday night game at Bradley’s Robertson Field House. The Braves (6-10, 2-5 MVC) split with SMS and the Shockers, losing by five at the Bears’ den after defeating Wichita by five.

Bradley sports a balanced attack, with six players averaging between seven and 14 points per game.

At the top of the list is senior guard Sara Bailey, who is also her team’s

Bradley has struggled with many of the same problems as the Salukis, such as consistency and finding a starting quintet.

But regardless of Friday night’s outcome, SIU will have to prepare for the Northern Iowa squad they will face in a Sunday matinee.

The Panthers, like Bradley, just completed a split of the SMS/Wichita trip, both blowouts. Coach Tony DiCecco was surprised at the ups and downs his team experienced on that trip.

“This had to be one of the strangest trips I have been on in a long time,” DiCecco said in a press release. “I had never been associated with a team’s lack of luster and excitement like it was against SMS.”

But DiCecco said that his team learned an important lesson in the two games.

“We need to make our kids understand how important preparation is and we can’t take anything for granted,” DiCecco said.

His Panthers (8-8, 3-4 MVC) are led by a strong inside-outside combination of Alex Cook and Katie Miller.

Cook, a 6-foot forward who has notched five straight double doubles, scored a career-high 22 points in her last outing and is the conference’s second-best rebounder at more than 11 a game.

Miller, who leads her team in scoring, is averaging more than 18 points per game, good enough for second best in the MVC.

But whether or not her team is able to chalk up its first conference win this weekend, Opp doesn’t doubt its desire.

“They don’t always make the best decisions and things don’t always go their way, but they’re still working hard,” Opp said.

Reporter Ethan Erickson can be reached at [email protected]