DAYTON, Ohio – KK Rodriguez gave SIUE a one-point lead with seven seconds remaining on a three-pointer, but Dayton found a go-ahead basket three seconds later following a timeout to down the Cougars, 75-74 on Monday night at UD Arena.
"This was a tough one," Head Coach Samantha Quigley Smith said. "We played hard tonight. I'm proud of our team for that."
The Cougars drop to 1-5 in their 2023 nonconference slate. Dayton improves to 2-3 overall. In SIUE's last four losses, the Cougars have fallen by a combined 10 points.
SIUE concluded the game shooting 43 percent (25-58) overall and 15-19 from the free throw line. The Cougars shot 9-20 from deep. Dayton wrapped the contest 38 percent (29-75) from the floor while going 15-21 from the stripe.
Rodriguez, who entered the game eighth in the nation in total points scored, led SIUE with 33 points, tying a career high. She has scored 30 or more points in three of her last four outings.
"KK Rodriguez is really special, wow," added Smith. "We had some really great contributions from others, but she's a special player and kept us right in this one."
The graduate guard concluded the contest 11-21 from the floor, 7-9 at the stripe, and 4-5 from three-point land. She also led the Cougars with six rebounds, the third time she has commanded SIUE on the boards this season. The St. Louis native also dished out four assists and grabbed four steals.
The Flyers controlled the glass, outrebounding the Cougars 51-34 and 25-9 offensively, scoring 26 on second chance opportunities.
Coming off the bench, Olivia Clayton scored a career-high 11 points. She was 4-8 from the field and 3-4 at the free throw line. She also grabbed five rebounds.
"She gave us a spark off the bench," said Smith. "She came in and rebounded against a great rebounding team."
Macy Silvey and Ava Stoller contributed five rebounds apiece while scoring eight and seven points, respectively. Stoller also dished out four of the Cougars' 14 assists.
Defensively, SIUE recorded a season-high six blocks. Halle Smith led the way with three while Clayton added two.
SIUE is idle until after Thanksgiving and will return home on Sunday, Nov. 26 for a meeting with Middle Tennessee. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
"I can't say enough about our effort and resilience," said Smith. "Both teams fought until the final whistle. These are the games you want to be apart of as a coach. We just have to take it to another level."
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