EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Five SIUE players scored in double figures Saturday as the Cougars defeated Eastern Illinois 87-75 for their sixth straight victory.

The win also matched SIUE's best start in the Ohio Valley Conference at 9-1, equaling the start from last season. SIUE women's basketball, 14-9 overall, will now have a week between games before facing UT Martin at home next Saturday at 2 p.m.

"It's great to have a week off before UT Martin comes," said SIUE Head Coach Paula Buscher. "I think this will be good to get rejuvenated and ready to go for next weekend."

Shronda Butts led the SIUE offense with 20 points and six steals. Donshel Beck recorded her third double-double of the season with 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Gwen Adams scored 14 and added three blocks. CoCo Moore was next with 12 points and five assists. Lauren White added 11 points and four steals.

The Cougars shared the ball well with a team-best 21 assists for the season. Butts and Beck each had six while Moore added five.

Eastern Illinois, 1-21 overall and 0-10 in the OVC, had a brief two-point lead 23 seconds into the game but couldn't match the Cougars on offense. Halle Stull led the Panthers off the bench with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

SIUE held a 45-35 lead at halftime and fought off the Panthers as they came within four at 68-64 with 7:52 to play.

"The biggest piece is that at times we backed off and played a little softer when we had a big lead," said Buscher. "When our defensive intensity jumps up, that leads into some offense for us."

The free throw line was a key for the Cougars, which hit 21 of 28 for the game. Butts was 12 of 17 to lead SIUE. Eastern Illinois shot 8 of 11 from the line as a team.

Buscher said towards the end rebounds were a big key.

"I told them to keep playing and trust your fundamentals," Buscher said. "This isn't a complicated game and sometimes we make it complicated."