Box Score CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - SIUE women's basketball just had a moment, and it was a pretty good one.
The Cougars stunned Illinois at the State Farm Center 71-62 Thursday night. It was the first victory by an SIUE women's basketball team against the Big Ten (0-8 previously) and only the second against a Power 5 school (Clemson 2012).
It was the first loss of the season for the Fighting Illini and the first victory of the season for the Cougars.
"I'm proud of our bounce back," said first-year SIUE Head Coach Samantha Quigley Smith, who celebrated her first Division I victory. "We worked through adversity. We had a week of coming together and figuring out what's most important. We had a lot of chats individually. We had a lot of chats as a team."
After taking early losses at Kansas and Memphis, Smith said she could see that her team was "in the zone" and were ready against Illinois.
Four players recorded double figures for the Cougars led by 15 from Gabby Nikitinaite, 14 from Mikayla Kinnard and Ajulu Thatha and 11 from Allie Troeckler.
"We did a great job of finishing every possession," said Smith. "This group has gone through a little bit of a tough time early on. For us to have this kind of success so early is great."
The Cougars captured what no doubt can be called a signature win by playing strong defense, providing maximum effort and controlling the tempo.
"We rebounded," emphasized Smith. "That's a big team. I'm just so proud of them"
SIUE outrebounded the Fighting Illini 39-38, including a 15-11 edge on the offensive glass.
Along with the four players scoring in double figures, the Cougars picked up a nine-point boost off the bench from Prima Chellis and five from Mikala Hall.
"Mikala Hall came off the bench giving some great minutes and great energy," added Smith.
Illinois' Aaliyah Nye led her squad with a game-high 17 points. The Fighting Illini opened the game with a 17-10 lead after one period and led by as much as nine with 8:42 to play in the second period.
The Cougars stretched the defense and found open shots, especially during a 10-0 run in the second period that eventually put SIUE ahead 29-26 at halftime.
"You can't go on a 10-0 run if you don't get defensive stops," added Smith.
SIUE led by as much as 13 in the game, pressuring Illinois into 24 turnovers. SIUE scored 23 points off those turnovers. It was the second time in three games that the Cougars have made their opponent turned the ball over 20 or more times. And both are Power 5 schools.
"We had some great resiliency throughout the game," noted Smith. "They made a great punch in the fourth and cut it to three. We could have laid over and had a Big Ten team steal a win from us."
Illinois made its own 10-0 run in the fourth period, but SIUE finished off the Fighting Illini on the free throw line with six straight through the net from Kinnard, Mikia Keith and Thatha.
SIUE next heads to Butler for an 11 a.m. contest Tuesday. The Cougars also have their first home game on the horizon, a Nov. 28 contest at First Community Arena against Purdue Fort Wayne.
