SIUE Cougars (10-20, 4-13 OVC) vs. Morehead State Eagles (21-9, 13-4 OVC)

Saturday, February 26, 3:30 p.m.
First Community Arena
Edwardsville, Illinois

LAST TIME
SIUE forged a furious comeback Thursday before falling to Austin Peay 68-64 in overtime Thursday at First Community Arena. After trailing 48-36 with 7:09 to play, the Cougars got eight consecutive points from Cam Williams to pull within four at 48-44. The Cougars would continue the push and rallied for a 19-3 run in all to pull ahead of Austin Peay 55-51 after a Lamar Wright free throw with 1:41 left. Consecutive turnovers from the Cougars allowed Austin Peay to tie the score at 55 and force overtime.

DOUBLE DIGIT WINS
SIUE has won 10 games for the first time since the 2018-19 season and just the sixth time since moving to Division I play. 

CONFERENCE CALL
SIUE is playing its 11th Ohio Valley Conference season. The Cougars are 57-129 in OVC play. Head Coach Brian Barone has a 16-38 record in OVC play. 

LAST MEETING
A lengthy run in the second half proved to the difference as Morehead State outlast SIUE 77-74 Jan. 22 in Morehead, Kentucky. Morehead State built a 10-point lead midway through the first half, but SIUE fought back. Down four with time expiring in the half, Cam Williams picked off a rebound after a Morehead State missed three-pointer, dribbled twice and heaved a half-court shot, which swished in as time expired to bring the Cougars within one (33-32) at the break. SIUE led 56-50 when the Eagles used a 17-0 run to pull ahead for good. 

TAYLOR TO MISS REMAINDER OF SEASON
Guard Ray'Sean Taylor will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Taylor sustained the injury in the second half of SIUE's game at Southeast Missouri Jan. 29, undergoing immediate testing and a subsequent MRI which revealed the ligament tear. Taylor sat out the 2020-21 season with the same injury, which he sustained in August 2020. Taylor led SIUE in scoring 14 times, scored in double figures in 19 of 21 games, and scored 20 or more points in a game nine times. He remains the leading scorer among first-year players in the country at 17.6 points per game. Taylor won the OVC Freshman of the Week award five times this season. 

WIN AND YOU'RE IN
SIUE needs only a win in today's game to earn a trip to the OVC Tournament. The Cougars are tied with UT Martin for the final spot. If the Cougars lose, they could still get in with a loss by UT Martin and a win by Eastern Illinois. The Cougars have appeared in the tournament in each of the last two years.