OVC Tournament First Round
SIUE Cougars (8-21, 7-11 OVC)
vs. Tennessee State Tigers (11-17, 7-11 OVC)
Wednesday, March 1st, 3:30 PM
Ford Center (10,000), Evansville, IndianaÂ
LAST GAME: Southeast Missouri outscored the Cougars 25-4 in the second quarter for a 24-point lead at halftime and never looked back, downing SIUE 88-72 on Saturday afternoon at First Community Arena. Despite a second quarter where the Redhawks used a 20-0 run to close the first half, the Cougars regrouped after halftime to outscore SEMO 45-37. SIUE forced 14 turnovers between the third and fourth quarter while shooting 46 percent (13-28) from the floor. The Cougars also went 6-14 from deep and 13-17 at the line in the second half. SIUE concluded the contest 39 percent (23-59) from the field and 42 percent (8-19) from deep. SIUE won the rebounding battle 34-33 while forcing 22 turnovers.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: This season marks the eighth time the Cougars have made the postseason in the Division I era. SIUE is 6-7 all time in the OVC tournament.
HOT HAND: SIUE ranks second in the OVC in scoring offense since beginning conference play, averaging 69.2 points per game.
DO IT FOR FREE: The Cougars leads the OVC and ranks 45th in the NCAA averaging 14.2 free throws made per game. SIUE ranks second in the OVC and 60th nationally in free throw attempts per game at 19.5. Thatha's 175 attempts leads the conference and ranks 25th in the country. Her 132 free throws made also leads the league and ranks 33rd nationally.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Ajulu Thatha has recorded a league-leading 12 double-doubles this season, including last game vs. SEMO. She's third in the league averaging 16.9 points and first averaging 10.7 rebounds since beginning conference play.
ALL TIME REBOUNDS: Thatha passed Misi Clark last time out for 15th on the Cougars' all-time rebounding leaderboard. Thatha has collected 606 over her career at SIUE (197o-409d).
CRASH THE GLASS: The Cougars rank second in the league in offensive rebounds per game at 12.1 and rank second in rebounds per game at 35.7. Thatha ranks second in the OVC averaging 2.7 offensive rebounds per game while Olivia Clayton's 1.7 ranks 14th.
SILVEY LINING: 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. She is averaging 9.6 points and 4.0 rebounds over her last five.
KID ROCKS: Mikayla Kinnard is second on the Cougars at 12.8 points per game over the last five games. She is also averaging 4.8 rebounds.
SHEEHAN-DLES (AND DISHES): Molly Sheehan leads the Cougars averaging 2.9 assists per contest and free throw percentage (min: 10 att) at .905 (19-21) against conference opponents.
LOWIS IS LEADING: Sofie Lowis is second on SIUE and 14th in the OVC averaging 11.5 points per contest. She also leads the league and ranks 42nd in the country with 192 three-point attempts. Her four three pointers at TSU out tied a season high. Lowis ranks third in the OVC averaging 1.8 threes made per game and leads SIUE connecting on 52 from deep this season. She leads SIUE with 19 games in double figures.
