EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE women's basketball trailed by as many as 20 points in the third quarter and reduced its deficit to nine points in the fourth, but Southeast Missouri State held onto its lead the entire way to down the Cougars, 67-57, on Saturday night at First Community Arena.
SIUE falls to 5-22 and 2-12 in Ohio Valley Conference play. SEMO improves to 8-17 and 5-9.
"It was a difficult hole to try to dig out of," Head Coach Samantha Quigley Smith said. "We didn't do a great job of rebounding the basketball. In the first half, I don't think we had that attack mode mindset that we had late in the game."
The Cougars took their lone lead of the contest at 4-3 before SEMO used a 7-0 run to lead the rest of the way. The Redhawks extended their advantage to 13 entering the locker room.
SEMO pulled ahead to 20 with 7:12 to go in the third, its largest lead of the contest, and concluded the third up 18 at 52-34.
SIUE staged two separate 9-0 runs in the final quarter, reducing their deficit to 10 each time. However, SEMO maintained its lead, securing its third consecutive victory against the Cougars since last season.
The Cougars shot 35 percent (18-51) overall while going 6-23 from three-point territory and 15-19 from the free throw line. Southeast Missouri State shot 36 percent (24-66) from the floor and went 12-19 at the stripe. The Redhawks also edged SIUE on the glass, 46-32.
Sofie Lowis led SIUE's scoring with 13 points, shooting 4-10 overall and 3-4 from the charity stripe. She also turned in six rebounds and four assists. Ava Stoller and Molly Sheehan contributed nine points apiece.
SIUE also celebrated Senior Day, honoring two student-athletes, KK Rodriguez and Olivia Clayton. The duo played two seasons in Edwardsville after transferring from Tulsa.
"It's hard to put into words what they have meant to our program," Smith said. "You find great people in the transfer portal who come from great families, which is really difficult and hard to find. Liv and KK came along and obviously knew each other very well. We loved their vibe and ability to work through tough times and adversity. They've brought great leadership to our group. We love them and will really miss them."
Since joining the Cougars prior to the 2022-23 season, Clayton has totaled 275 points, 195 rebounds, 68 assists, 42 blocks, and 36 steals in 53 games played. This season, the forward's block total ranks seventh in the OVC. She is pursuing her bachelor's degree in science and will graduate in May.
"To celebrate four years of college basketball today was special," Clayton said. "It was a great way to go out. The coaching staff made my transition (from Tulsa) seamless. I couldn't be more grateful to have played for this coaching staff."
Rodriguez recorded 431 points, 153 rebounds, 106 assists, and 63 steals in 36 games played with SIUE. Before leaving the game with an injury on December 6th at SIU Carbondale, the 5-6 guard ranked third in the NCAA in total points with 207, third in free throw attempts at 63, third in free throws made at 53, ninth in scoring average at 23.0, and seventh in three-point percentage at 54.1. Her 47 rebounds and .482 shooting percentage ranked fourth in the OVC, while her 33 assists stacked up third. She is pursuing a master's degree in business administration and will graduate next May.
"Having the opportunity to spend the day with my teammates was amazing," Rodriguez said. "This is an amazing group of girls. The record we have is not a reflection of the type of people or basketball players we are. SIUE taught me that you can have a family within a basketball program."
SIUE will begin four consecutive games on the road, beginning with Tennessee Tech on Thursday, Feb. 22. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUEWBB on X, @SIUEWBB on Instagram, and SIUE Women's Basketball on Facebook.
