VALPARAISO, Ind. (Interstat) — The Valparaiso Beacons, still in search of their first win of the season, will host the Southern Illinois Salukis in a Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball matchup on Saturday.

The Beacons (0-23, 0-12 MVC) are enduring a historically difficult season, with their last 10 losses coming by an average of 22.2 points. They face a Southern Illinois team (7-13, 3-9) that handily defeated them 97-59 just four weeks ago in Carbondale.

Valparaiso’s hopes will lean heavily on guard Allia von Schlegell, who has been a consistent scorer in conference play. She is averaging 14.3 points over her last seven games, including a 16-point performance in Thursday’s 83-59 loss to Evansville. In the January meeting with Southern Illinois, von Schlegell finished with 15 points.

The Salukis, however, enter with significantly more momentum, having won two of their last four games. They are led by dynamic guard Alayna Kraus, who is coming off a 23-point effort in a narrow 79-75 loss at Murray State on Jan. 29. Kraus torched the Beacons for 22 points in the Jan. 22 win over Indiana State and had 9 points in 27 minutes during the earlier rout of Valparaiso.

Southern Illinois has struggled on the road this season, but their dominant prior win provides a clear blueprint. The Salukis forced 22 Valparaiso turnovers and shot 50% from the field in that contest.

For Valparaiso, the Athletics-Recreation Center offers a chance to change the narrative of their season, but the task is formidable against a Salukis squad looking to climb the conference standings. Southern Illinois will aim to sweep the season series and build consistency ahead of a challenging February slate.

Tipoff is set for Saturday afternoon at the ARC.