OWENSBORO, KY. - Whitney Sykes hit a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left as Southern Illinois University Edwardsville edged Kentucky Wesleyan 65-64 in women's college basketball on Saturday at the Sportscenter.
         Sykes bombed Kentucky Wesleyan for a career-high 27 points, including 5 of 6 from three-point range. The Cougars improved to 10-9 overall and 5-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. KWC falls to 9-9 and 4-7 in the GLVC.
         Kentucky Wesleyan jumped out to a seven-point lead at halftime despite 14 from SIUE's Sykes. The Panthers shot 46 percent from the field in the half and held the Cougars to 37 percent shooting. KWC took advantage of SIUE's 11 turnovers with 13 points off the Cougar mistakes. SIUE managed just three points off KWC's 10 first-half turnovers.
         Amber Wisdom, who like Sykes played all 40 minutes for the Cougars, scored 12 points. Julianne McMillen, playing her fourth straight game off the bench, pumped in 17 points, including a 7-for-7 effort from the free throw line.
         The Panthers led for much of the second half, taking as much as a 10-point lead. SIUE went on a 21-8 run midway through the second half and grabbed a 49-46 lead when McMillen hit a pair of free throws with 9:02 left in the game. KWC fired back with a 12-2 run over the next five minutes, leading 60-53 with 3:18 to play.
         Sykes then hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to four at 3:02. After the teams exchanged baskets, Wisdom put SIUE just three points behind with her own three-pointer with 1:03 left. After a set of fouls from KWC, Sykes hit the last four free throws of the game, including the eventual winners with 12 seconds left.
         SIUE now returns home to the Vadalabene Center on Thursday to take on a red-hot Northern Kentucky squad. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
                  -siue cougars-