D.D. Plab is the only player in the top five in SIU women’s basketball history in both points and assists. 

Senior shooting guard Cartaesha Macklin is 17 points away from claiming that honor as her own.

Macklin finished Sunday’s game at Memphis with seven points, bringing her career total to 1,363 and placing her sixth all-time in Saluki history behind fifth-place Plab. 

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“I really don’t think about it much until I’m asked about it,” Macklin said. “But it’s an honor. I’m privileged. It’s really exciting.” 

With an average of eight points per game through the Salukis’ first four games, Macklin is on pace to break Amy Rakers’ career-scoring record during the Feb. 28 game at Indiana State.

Macklin’s 387 career assists rank second in SIU history. At 3.8 dimes per game, she would need 32 games to break Plab’s 31-year-old record of 508.  

That total could only be reached if the Salukis make a deep postseason run. She needs to average 4.9 assists per game in order to be guaranteed of breaking the record by the season’s end.

“[Macklin]’s a very talented player,” coach Cindy Stein said. “She’s played with a lot of good players as well. I think she’s going to do a heck of a job with a lot of records, not just [points and assists].”

Macklin’s five free throws made in the team’s first five games gave her 365 for her career, putting her two behind Molly McDowell for most all time. 

The fifth-year senior’s 492 free throw attempts as of Nov. 29 rank second to Char Warring, who shot 635 foul shots.

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Macklin entered the season with the seventh best career scoring average in school history at 13.5 per game.

She would tie Dana Fitzpatrick and Jayme Sweere for 10th all time in steals with 10 more larcenies.

Junior point guard Rishonda Napier said Macklin helps the Salukis through more than tangible statistics.

“I can count on Cartaesha running the floor hard every time,” she said. “I could throw the ball to the moon, and she would still catch it. I know that she’s going to work hard and be the heartbeat of the team.”

Macklin was named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Freshman of the Year and earned Honorable Mention All-MVC honors for the 2011-12 season after averaging 16.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

The next season, she averaged 15.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and a career-high 4.2 assists per game on her way to another Honorable Mention All-Conference nod.

Macklin played seven games in 2013-14 before taking a medical redshirt that would keep the season from counting toward her NCAA eligibility. She averaged 10.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

Last season’s redshirt junior year saw her post a career-low 9.8 points per game, but she also recorded a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the first full season of her career. She averaged 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. 

Macklin’s next attempt at moving up in the record books is against Murray State at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Murray, Ky.

Thomas Donley can be reached at [email protected] or at 618-536-3307