Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Evansville hosts Southern Illinois as conference play starts for both teams. In conference play last season, Southern Illinois finished with five wins and 13 losses, while Evansville won seven games and lost 11.
SQUAD LEADERS: Evansville’s Jawaun Newton has averaged 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds while Shamar Givance has put up 13.2 points and 4.1 rebounds. For the Salukis, Lance Jones has averaged 18.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals while Marcus Domask has put up 14.8 points.
FUELING THE OFFENSE: Domask has made or assisted on 41 percent of all Southern Illinois field goals over the last three games. Domask has accounted for 14 field goals and 12 assists in those games.
SLIPPING AT 65: Evansville is 0-5 this year when it allows 65 points or more and 3-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 65.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Purple Aces have recently created buckets via assists more often than the Salukis. Evansville has 28 assists on 65 field goals (43.1 percent) across its past three outings while Southern Illinois has assists on 26 of 64 field goals (40.6 percent) during its past three games.
STIFLING DEFENSE: Southern Illinois has held opposing teams to 61.8 points per game, the second-lowest figure among all MVC teams.
