Feb. 7, 2010

Box Score

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Mark Yelovich led all scorers with 18 points but the Cougars suffered a second-half field goal drought in a 57-50 loss to North Dakota at the Vadalabene Center.

SIUE, 3-21, went nearly 12 minutes of the second half without a field goal and shot 20.8 percent in the second half. The Cougars were aggressive in going to the basket, getting to the foul line and hitting 11 free throws during that stretch.

Tied 37-37 with 9:38 to play in the game, North Dakota made a 9-0 run and kept the lead for good.

In a defensive battle, the two teams matched up for 11 ties and 10 lead changes. North Dakota took just 36 shots from the field in the game and made 55.6 of those shots.

North Dakota's Travis Bledsoe scored nine of his 11 points in the second half to lead the Fighting Sioux, 5-17. Travis Mertens added 10 points for the Fighting Sioux.

The Cougars made a comeback and were within three points after a pair of free throws by Stephen Jones with 1:12 to play. North Dakota's Patrick Mitchell then hit a long-range three-pointer with 42 seconds left.

"We were down three and needed a stop. We gave up a big three," said SIUE Coach Lennox Forrester.

The two teams will mix it up again in 11 days. The next time will be a road game for the Cougars in Grand Forks, N.D. It is the beginning of a three-game road trip that includes games in North Dakota, California and Indiana.

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