STOCKTON, Calif. - The road woes continued for the SIUE women's basketball team as it dropped a 78-68 contest at the University of the Pacific Saturday night from the Alex G. Spanos Center.

Missed opportunities were the difference in the game as the Cougars, now 3-2 overall, committed 20 turnovers and could not score on its chances in the paint or from behind the arc.

"We had plenty of chances, but missed too many shots inside the paint," said SIUE Head Coach Amanda Levens. "On the road you have to play close to perfect."

SIUE finished only two for 15 from three-point range while Pacific hit on six of 15.

Led by junior Kendall Rodriguez's game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, the Tigers improved to 2-3 on the season with their second straight victory. Rodriguez hit four three pointers in the game after connecting on only three through the first four games of the season.

The Cougars scored the opening basket as junior Courtney Kenner took a perfect entry pass from junior Michaela Herrod and converted the layup. That would be one of two leads the Cougars held in the contest.

Pacific took control from that point with an 8-1 run after back-to-back SIUE turnovers.

Another tough stretch for SIUE saw the Tigers open a 17-7 advantage. The resilient Cougars responded by scoring the next nine points to get within one forcing a Pacific timeout.

The Cougars remained within striking distance and eventually regained the lead 26-25 after junior Raven Berry hit a shot in the paint to cap a 7-0 run.

The lead for Pacific increased to 45-36 at halftime as Sam Pettinger hit a three pointer with less than four seconds to play in the opening half.

The Tigers continued to add to their lead in the second half building a 12-point lead at 60-48 with less than 10 minutes remaining.

SIUE continued to battle cutting the deficit to four after a jumper by Herrod got the score to 68-64 but a quick three-point basket by Pacific's Rodriguez put the Tigers back in front, as they closed out the game 78-68.

"(Pacific) hit timely shots and we just couldn't bounce back quickly enough from our mistakes," added Levens.

Freshman Katie Hempen tied Herrod for the Cougar lead with 15 points while freshman Tierny Austin nearly reached double figures with nine points.

"Katie is a great competitor," said Levens of the Highland native. "She is going to keep getting better and better in our system. Her intangibles and toughness are tremendous."

In a game that saw a combined 45 personal fouls, the teams had plenty of opportunities from the free throw line. Pacific converted 28 of 37 chances while SIUE hit on 20 of 27 from the charity stripe.

The road swing for SIUE continues Dec. 3 when it travels to SIU Carbondale for the first ever meeting between the two schools. The game is scheduled for a 2:05 p.m. tip.

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