EVANSVILLE, Ind. - For the first time since 2018, SIUE women's basketball will advance in the OVC Basketball Championship as the Cougars claimed a 84-82 victory over sixth-seeded UT Martin on Wednesday evening at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
The Cougars simply could not be stopped in the opening 20 minutes, led by the smooth shooting stroke of
Gabby Nikitinaite. Nikitinaite recorded 10 points in the opening 10 minutes of action, going four-of-five from the field and two-of-three from beyond the arc.
Mikayla Kinnard also added six in the first period, giving the Red & White the 20-11 first period lead. The second period saw more Cougar scoring, this time spreading the ball around the court. Seven SIUE players scored in the second period alone, led by Nikitinaite and
Masyn McWilliams who each scored seven. The commanding scoring efforts for SIUE gave the Cougars a 20-point lead heading into the halftime break.
It truly was a tale of two halves, as the second half saw the sixth-seeded Skyhawks find their footing. A full-court press knocked the Cougars off their rhythm, as UTM outscored SIUE by a 58-40 margin. However, with the game knotted up at 84 apiece, both squad's seasons came down to just the final 14 seconds - following a SIUE timeout, a UTM player fouled a mid-range jumper from Kinnard that sent her to the charity stripe for perhaps the biggest free throws of her collegiate career. Kinnard stayed cool under pressure, draining both free throws to put the Cougars ahead by two with 2.2 seconds remaining. A Skyhawk timeout gave UTM the basketball on their half of the court, allowing them to set up one more play. The UTM forward took her shot, but the ball bounced in and out of the rim to send the Cougars through to the second round.
It is just the fourth time in the history of the OVC Women's Basketball Championship that a No. 7 seed won on the first day of action; in addition, with eighth-seeded Tennessee State advancing over fifth-seeded Eastern Illinois, this year's edition marks the first in which the seventh and eighth seeds have both won on the opening day of the Championship.
SIUE was led by Nikitinaite, who scored 24 points and dished seven assists. Following close behind was
Allie Troeckler, who notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Mikayla Kinnard and
Masyn McWilliams each added 14, while five other players found the bottom of the basket.
The No. 7 seed Cougars (13-17) will play against No. 3 seed Murray State tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and can be heard on 88.7 FM The Sound, with Randy Moehlman calling the action.
