SIUE Cougars (2-10, 0-0 OVC)
vs. Harris-Stowe Hornets (2-3, 0-0 AMC)
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023 | 7:00 PM CT
First Community Arena | Edwardsville, Illinois
50TH SEASON OF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: The 2023-24 season marks the 50th season of women's basketball at SIUE. The Cougars own an all-time record of 686-647 since the program began in 1974.
LAST TIME OUT: Molly Sheehan's three-pointer with 13 seconds to go knotted the contest at 74, but Loyola Chicago answered with a three of its own to down the Cougars, 77-74, on Monday afternoon at Gentile Arena. Overall, SIUE shot 51 percent (26-51) while converting eight of its 17 opportunities from long range. At the line, SIUE went 14-17 while forcing 12 turnovers from the Ramblers. Loyola Chicago shot 39 percent (26-67) in the contest and outrebounded the Cougars, 38-30. The Ramblers grabbed 20 boards on the offensive glass and scored 15 points on second chance opportunities. Offensively, Sofie Lowis paced SIUE with a career-high 23 points. Ava Stoller added a season-best 19 points.
SERIES HISTORY: Wednesday marks the 17th meeting between the Cougars and Hornets dating back to 1980. SIUE is undefeated against Harris-Stowe at 16-0 and own a 10-0 advantage inside First Community Arena. The two schools have not met since the 2007 season.
DO IT FOR FREE: SIUE leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks 30th in the country with a .777 free throw percentage. The Cougars also lead the OVC in free throw attempts (20.1) and free throws made (15.7) per game. Ava Stoller's .878 percentage (36-41) at the stripe ranks third in the league. She has converted on 21 consecutive attempts at the line.
SHOOTERS SHOOT: SIUE ranks second in the OVC and 64th in the country with a .349 three-point percentage. The Cougars lead the league with 87 three-pointers made. Three players appear in the top 10 of the league in three-point conversions: Lowis (26, 4th), Macy Silvey (22, t-5th), and KK Rodriguez (20, 9th) and. SIUE also ranks third in offensive scoring average at 69.9 points per contest.
NOT IN OUR HOUSE: SIUE ranks third in the OVC with 38 total blocks. Halle Smith leads the Cougars with 13, tied for third in the league. Olivia Clayton has tallied 12, stacking up fifth in the league.
ATTACK THE GLASS: The Cougars have collected 427 rebounds, good for third in the OVC. SIUE's 131 rebounds on the offensive glass also ranks third. Stoller ranks seventh in the OVC with 56 rebounds.
SHARING IS CARING: SIUE's 14.0 assists per game ranks fourth in the OVC. Rodriguez leads SIUE averaging 3.3 per game, good for sixth in the OVC. Stoller's 2.8 assists per game stacks up 11th in the league.
LEAN ON LOWIS: Lowis has scored in double-figures in five of her last six games, averaging 14.5 points per game during that span. Her 10.8 points per game this season ranks second on SIUE. The junior owns a .382 shooting percentage (26-68) from beyond the arc. Against NIU, she set a new career high with six three-pointers. Last season, she ranked second on SIUE in total points (343) and assists (68).
SILVEY LINING: Silvey ranks fourth on the Cougars averaging 8.7 points per game. The sophomore has finished in double-figures five times, including a season-high 18 points against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 26. The guard is averaging 4.1 rebounds per contest and has collected five or more in seven games. She concluded last season with 173 points, 44 rebounds, 24 assists, and 20 steals.
AVA SCORER: Stoller ranks third on the Cougars averaging 9.3 points per game. She is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game, good for second on the squad and 12th in the OVC. Stoller joins SIUE this season from St. Petersburg HS where she led the Green Devils' scoring efforts with 25.5 points and 4.4 rebounds as a senior.
Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUEWBB on X, @SIUEWBB on Instagram, and SIUE Women's Basketball on Facebook.
