RENSSELAER, IND. - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men's basketball capped off an outstanding 2004-2005 regular season with a 70-61 victory at Saint Joseph's.
         Coupled with Quincy's 79-76 victory over Indianapolis, the Cougars finished the regular season with a 15-5 mark to earn the No. 2 seed in next week's Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Ind. SIUE will play seventh-seeded UW-Parkside in the quarterfinal round.
         It is the highest seed SIUE has earned since joining the GLVC in the 1995-96 season. Its 15 wins in conference play is the most ever. SIUE's 22 overall victories is the most since 1988-89 when the Cougars were 23-7.
         J.B. Jones and Joel Jaye each had 15 points for the Cougars. Tim Bauersachs added 10 points and six assists.
         The Cougars were down 33-28 at halftime but tied the game just 63 seconds as Jaye hit a jumper and a three-pointer.
         SIUE and Saint Joseph's had 13 ties in the game, but it was the Cougars who pulled away at the end. SIUE took a 63-57 lead with 5:03 to play on a pair of free throws by Bauersachs.
         Saint Joseph's, who will be the No. 5 seed in the GLVC Tournament with records of 16-11 and 11-9 in the league, could only pull within four when SUllivan Sykes, who led all scorers with 17 points, hit a pair of free throws with 2:46 to play. The Pumas would miss their final three shots and two free throws down the stretch.
                  -siue cougars-