Cougars Win School Record 15th Straight Game

Box Score

February 9, 2006

         ST. LOUIS, MO. - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men's basketball won for a school record 15th consecutive time as the 18th-ranked Cougars defeated Missouri-St. Louis 65-60 Thursday night in Great Lakes Valley Conference action.
         The Cougars, ranked No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region, broke the record of 14 wins in row set last season.
         SIUE, 19-3 overall and 12-2 in the conference, holds sole possession of first place in the GLVC West after Drury won at Southern Indiana 83-82 Thursday.
         SIUE will put its winning streak on the line as the Cougars travel to Missouri-Rolla on Saturday afternoon at 3.
         UMSL falls to 13-9 overall and 6-8 in conference play.
         Ryan Belcher led SIUE with 17 points and seven rebounds. Belcher was 4-of-5 shooting from the floor, going 2-2 from beyond the three-point arc and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. Belcher did not record a steal in the contest as he broke a string of 21 straight games with a steal.
         In what was a hard fought game at the Mark Twain Building, the Rivermen jumped out to a 14-7 lead over SIUE with 8:32 left in the first half. Justin Ward's jumper cappped a 13-4 run over the next 5:28 as SIUE gained a 22-18 advantage. SIUE led 24-21 at halftime.
         SIUE came out firing in the second half as Mike Hardiek finished off a 12-6 run to give the Cougars a 36-27 lead with 15:46 left. UMSL countered with a 15-5 run to take a 42-41 advantage with 12:26 left in the second half. A Ty Johnson jumper :38 later would give SIUE a 43-42 lead that they would never relinquish.
         A pair of free throws by Belcher put SIUE up 56-46 with 5:21 to go. UMSL trimmed the Cougars lead to 63-60 with :15 left, but two J.B. Jones free throws sealed the win.
         The Cougars netted 16-24 free throws in the game including 14-22 in the second half as USML was 8 for 12 from the charity stripe on the night.
         J.B. Jones netted 16 points with seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Mike Hardiek scored 16 points also grabbing seven rebounds and getting two steals.
         The Cougars shot 44.9 percent (22-49) from the field in the contest and 45 percent (5-11) from behind the three-point arc.
         Jonathan Griffin notched a double-double netting 12 points while grabbing 13 rebounds for UMSL. Troy Slaten led the Rivermen with 17 points. The Rivermen netted 41.8 percent (23-55) of their shots in the contest.
                  -siue cougars-

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Players Mentioned

#10 Ryan Belcher: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#34 Mike Hardiek: F; 6' 7"; Junior

#3 Ty Johnson: G; 5' 11"; Junior

#22 J.B. Jones: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#50 Justin Ward: F; 6' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Ryan Belcher
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#34 Mike Hardiek
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F

#3 Ty Johnson
: 5' 11"; Junior
: G

#22 J.B. Jones
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G

#50 Justin Ward
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F