EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Ava Stoller's floating jumper with 4.7 seconds remaining lifted the Cougars past Lindenwood, 69-67, on Thursday night at First Community Arena. SIUE erased a double-digit first half deficit en route to the victory.
SIUE improves to 5-21 overall and 2-11 against Ohio Valley Conference opponents. Lindenwood falls to 6-17 and 4-9.
"I'm just so proud of our fight down the stretch," Head Coach Samantha Quigley Smith said. "There have been so many of these games where we haven't come out on top. We've played a lot of tight games, down to the wire, where we didn't execute down the stretch. We had big stops down the stretch to put us in a position to get this win. Our team has faced a lot of adversity at times, but tonight we saw how capable we are of doing this."
The Cougars trailed by 11 with under four minutes remaining in the second quarter before a 12-4 run reduced the Lions' lead to just three at 31-28 entering halftime. SIUE shot 6-13 overall in the second period while going 3-6 from long range.
"We grinded it out and had some big stops," added Smith. "When you get three of four stops in a row, it gives you some life."
SIUE would go up by seven points at the conclusion of the third and enjoy its largest lead of the game at 10 with 8:46 remaining in the final quarter of action. Lindenwood countered with a 17-7 run to tie the game at 67 with 18 seconds remaining, allowing the Cougars to take a final shot with the shot clock turned off.
With 4.7 seconds to go, Stoller attacked the rim and banked a jumper in the paint to put the Cougars up two at 69-67. Lindenwood took a 30 second timeout to draw up a last effort play but fell short as Olivia Clayton grabbed a rebound on the Lions' side of the court, her seventh of the game, to secure a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series.
"We had some buckets in transition because of our defense," said Smith. "It allows you to attack a little bit more. When you hold a team three times to less than 20 points in a quarter, that's how you win a basketball game."
SIUE concluded the contest 45 percent (24-53) from the floor and 9-22 from long range. Lindenwood shot 37 percent (23-63) and were outrebounded by the Cougars, 40-33. SIUE also turned in 15 assists while tallying four blocks.
"We have played these types of games so many times and we finally got one," said Smith. "All of these games over the final stretch of the season are going to be very close games."
Macy Silvey, who entered the contest averaging 14.0 points in three career games against Lindenwood, led SIUE with 17. The sophomore was 6-13 from the floor, 3-7 from three-point territory, and 2-2 at the free throw line. The guard also led SIUE with eight rebounds.
Stoller added 13 points while turning in three assists. The freshman shot 6-9 overall and went 1-1 at the stripe. Ava Gugliuzza finished with 10 points while Sofie Lowis and Brianna Wooldridge contributed nine.
Lindenwood's starting five turned in double-figure outings, led by Ellie Brueggemann's 17 points.
SIUE returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 17 against Southeast Missouri State. The Cougars will celebrate Senior Day prior to tipoff, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT.
"SEMO is a very tough and athletic group," said Smith. "We're going to keep our same defensive mindset. We have to take care of the ball. If we can hold our turnovers, it's going to be a pretty good night."
Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUEWBB on X, @SIUEWBB on Instagram, and SIUE Women's Basketball on Facebook.
