SIU women’s basketball takes on Missouri State after a 57-48 loss against last-place Wichita State on Friday.

Missouri State (12-7, 5-2 Missouri Valley Conference), which was predicted to win the conference at MVC media day Oct. 27, has won three straight after losing to Drake and Northern Iowa.

SIU could be in for a close one as the Bears and Salukis are nearly identical in almost every statistical category.

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Like the Salukis, Missouri State has three players who average double-digit scoring. Led by senior guard Tyonna Snow (14.6 points), who ranks fourth in the conference in scoring, the Bears are tied for second with SIU averaging 69.2 points a game.

The post will be an important facet of the game as senior center Dyana Pierre will match up against senior forward Hillary Chvatal, who ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds with 7.7. Pierre is looking to have her seventh straight game with a double-double. Pierre is averaging 13.9 points per game.

Senior guard Cartaesha Macklin draws the assignment of guarding senior guard Kenzie Williams, who is the second leading scorer for her team with 13.3 points per game. She is one of the better 3-point shooters in the Valley, making 40 percent of her shots from outside.

For SIU to come away with a win, the Salukis will have to be better from outside. In the game against Wichita State, SIU shot an abysmal 5 percent (1-20) from deep. Macklin and junior guard Rishonda Napier went a combined 0-13. 3-point shooting has been a strength for the team, as they lead the MVC at 30 percent. Napier ranks fourth in the conference shooting 38 percent, and the team needs her to space the floor for Pierre down low.

SIU tips off against the Bears at 7 p.m. on Sunday at JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo.

Ted Ward can be reached at [email protected] or 618-534-3303