Game 27
SIUE Cougars (8-18, 7-8 OVC)
at Tennessee State Tigers (10-15, 6-9 OVC)
Saturday, February 17th, 1:00 p.m.
Gentry Center (9,100), Nashville, Tennessee

LAST GAME: The Cougars tied the game 70-70 with 1:26 to go in the fourth quarter to push the contest to overtime for the first time since 2020, but UT Martin took the lead with four seconds left for a final score of 77-76 at Kathleen and Tom Elam Center on Thursday night. SIUE, entering the game as the conference leader in free throws made per game, finished the contest just 11-20 at the line. SIUE concluded the contest 49 percent (28-57) from the field and 9-24 from beyond the arc. Four Cougars scored in double figures: KK Rodriguez (19), Sofie Lowis (17), Mikayla Kinnard (13), and Macy Silvey (13).

PLAYER OF THE WEEK (5x): Ajulu Thatha was named the OVC Player of the Week on Feb. 14 following performances at Lindenwood and vs. Eastern Illinois. Her 25 rebounds at Lindenwood set the program record for most in a single game before adding 17 points in the win over EIU. She also received the honor on Jan. 31, Jan. 17, Jan. 1, and Nov. 29.

DO IT FOR FREE: The Cougars lead the OVC and rank 41st in the NCAA averaging 14.5 free throws made per game. SIUE ranks second in the OVC and 54th nationally in free throw attempts per game at 19.8. Thatha's 152 attempts leads the conference and ranks 29th in the country. Her 115 free throws made also leads the league and ranks 29th nationally.

HOT HAND: SIUE ranks second in the OVC in scoring offense since beginning conference play, averaging 70.2 points per game. The Cougars' .312 three-point FG percentage ranks third.

HAVE A GAME, MACY: Silvey tied a career-high 14 points against Eastern Illinois, 12 of which came on the three pointer. She was 4-7 from deep, tying a career best in three pointers made. Her eight rebounds also set a personal best mark. Silvey also scored 12 at Lindenwood, all of which came off three pointers. She is averaging 13.3 points over her last four.

KINNARD CRACKS TOP 30: In 102 games, Kinnard has tallied 953 career points with SIUE, passing Assistant Coach Jazmin Pitts for 29th in program history.

ALL TIME REBOUNDS: Thatha passed Gwen Adams last time out for 17th on the Cougars' all-time rebounding leaderboard. Thatha has collected 579 over her career at SIUE (189o-389d).