EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Morehead State broke a late second-half tie
with a 10-2 run and held on for a 69-62 victory over Southern
Illinois University Edwardsville women's basketball at the
Vadalabene Center Sunday.
Sophomore center Raven Berry recorded
her third double-double of the season with a season-high 19 points
and 15 rebounds. The Cougars dropped to 2-8 overall and now have a
week off before heading to Lawrence, Kan., to take on the Kansas
Jayhawks next Sunday at 2 p.m.
"Raven is really coming along," said SIUE Head Coach Amanda Levens.
"This year she has had to rely on low-post footwork, which she is
still learning. She has gotten better each game for us."
Morehead State won their fourth straight game and improved to
7-3 overall.
Chynna Bozeman, a first team Ohio Valley Conference selection
last season, led Morehead State with 22 points. Half of the
senior's points came from the free throw line as she hit 11 of 14
for the game.
The Eagles hit their first 15 free throws of the game and then
held off SIUE by making them down the stretch. Morehead State hit 6
of 8 in the final minute of play.
Morehead State finished with four players in double figures.
After Bozeman's 22, Courtney Lumpkin scored 18 while Ashar Harris
and Linda Dixon added 10 each.
The Cougars made a valiant comeback after being down 39-30 at
halftime. Harris hit a pair of free throws 30 seconds into the
second half to put the Eagles up by 11 and then watched the Cougars
make an 11-0 run.
"I was very proud of the way we started and competed in the
second half. If we had played that smothering way in the first half
it could have been a different result," Levens said.
SIUE would even the score over the next seven minutes with
tenacious defense and strong play in the paint. Melia Duncan hit a
three-pointer to cut the lead to eight. Sydney
Stahlberg, SIUE's only other player in double figures with 15
points, would connect on a layup with 18:13 to play to cut the lead
to six.
Berry hit a pair of buckets in the paint to slice the lead to
two with 14:22. Allyssa Decker
would tie the game with 12:58 to play by hitting two free throws
after being fouled on an offensive rebound.
SIUE and Morehead State would tie once again with 6:17 to play
at 48-48. Morehead State then made its run behind layups from
Bozeman and Lumpkin.
Despite outrebounding Morehead State 42-39, the Cougars
committed 29 fouls and sent the Eagles to the free throw line 39
times. The Eagles made 28. SIUE, meanwhile, was 16 of 23 from the
free throw line.
-siue cougars-
