Preview: Indiana State Sycamores at Southern Illinois Salukis

CARBONDALE, Ill. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking momentum in Missouri Valley Conference play will meet Thursday when the Indiana State Sycamores visit the Southern Illinois Salukis at SIU Arena.

Indiana State (6-11) enters off a 77-71 home victory over Evansville on Sunday, snapping a three-game skid. Southern Illinois (5-12) also snapped a losing streak, defeating Illinois-Chicago 63-58 on Sunday.

The matchup features two of the conference’s top individual talents. Sycamores guard Kennedy Claybrooks is coming off a near triple-double, posting 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists against Evansville. Over her last five games, she is averaging 11.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists.

She will be matched by Salukis guard Indya Green, who scored a game-high 20 points in the win over UIC. Green has been a consistent scorer, reaching double figures in five of her last six contests and averaging 16.2 points over that stretch.

Both teams have struggled for consistency this season. The Sycamores’ win over Evansville was just their second in the last seven games. The Salukis’ victory ended a five-game losing streak within conference play.

Indiana State’s offense runs through Claybrooks and forward Da’Naria Washington, who added 17 points and six rebounds in the last outing. Southern Illinois will counter with Green and forward Kayla Cooper, who averages a team-leading 13.1 points per game.

The Sycamores won the last meeting between the teams, but Southern Illinois holds a historical advantage in the series. With both teams clustered near the bottom of the Valley standings, Thursday’s contest represents a critical opportunity to build conference positioning ahead of the February stretch.

The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CST tipoff.