Central Plains FFA Chapter

01/01 03:43 CST Valparaiso faces Southern Illinois, looks to halt 4-game skid Valparaiso faces Southern Illinois, looks to halt 4-game skid By The Associated Press Valparaiso Beacons (6-7, 0-2 MVC) at Southern Illinois Salukis (6-8, 0-3 MVC) Carbondale, Illinois; Thursday, 3 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Salukis -8.5; over/under is 146.5 BOTTOM LINE: Valparaiso is looking to stop its four-game losing streak with a victory against Southern Illinois. The Salukis have gone 4-1 at home. Southern Illinois has a 4-7 record against teams above .500. The Beacons are 0-2 against MVC opponents. Valparaiso is ninth in the MVC with 22.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Shon Tupuola averaging 4.2. Southern Illinois' average of 4.5 made 3-pointers per game is 1.9 fewer made shots on average than the 6.4 per game Valparaiso gives up. Valparaiso averages 71.4 points per game, 2.9 fewer than the 74.3 Southern Illinois gives up to opponents. The Salukis and Beacons face off Thursday for the first time in conference play this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Quel'Ron House is shooting 51.8% and averaging 14.7 points for the Salukis. Drew Steffe is averaging 1.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. Rakim Chaney is averaging 10.8 points, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals for the Beacons. Owen Dease is averaging 12.3 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Salukis: 4-6, averaging 75.5 points, 33.5 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 8.8 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.2 points per game. Beacons: 4-6, averaging 73.5 points, 35.1 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 6.1 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.9 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.