MOREHEAD, Ky. – SIUE women's basketball outscored Morehead State 31-28 in the second half, but the Screaming Eagles took the lead at 10-8 in the first quarter and never trailed to down SIUE, 69-66, on Thursday night at Johnson Arena.
"I'm proud of our fight," Head Coach Samantha Quigley Smith said. "We had a tough offensive stretch in the third quarter, but I credit our group for their fight towards the end of the game."
The Cougars drop to 4-20 overall and 1-10 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Screaming Eagles improve to 12-10 and 7-4.
Entering the locker room trailing by six at 41-35, the Cougars shot 46 percent (12-26) in the opening half compared to MSU's 56 percent (15-27). Half of SIUE's scoring from the floor in the first two quarters came from three-point range, going 6-13 from deep.
SIUE would cut its deficit to one in the final quarter of action with six minutes to go following a 5-0 run. Morehead State would go up four on three occasions before SIUE made closed its gap to one in the final six seconds of play following a free throw by Halle Smith.
The Cougars were forced to foul on Morehead State's inbound, sending Katie Novik of MSU to the line with a second remaining. She went 2-2 at the stripe before SIUE put up a last second three with 0.4 remaining. The shot was no good, as Morehead State took its third consecutive victory against the Cougars, dating back to the 2022-23 season.
SIUE concluded the game 35 percent (22-63) from the field, compared the Morehead State's 44 percent (24-55). The Cougars were 10-27 from three-point land and went 12-16 at the free throw line. After turning the ball over nine times in the first half, SIUE gave away just two in the closing two quarters.
"We did a better job of taking care of the basketball in the second half," added Smith. "But we have to convert at the basket. I think we had a lot of opportunities at the rim that we left on the table."
Morehead State outrebounded the Cougars 44-32, while SIUE forced 15 turnovers from Morehead State. The Cougars scored 14 points off MSU's miscues.
Sofie Lowis led the Cougars offensively with 21 points. The junior was 8-20 from the floor and 5-11 from deep, en route to her eighth career 20-point game.
Freshman Ava Stoller added 16 points, her eighth game in double-figures this season. She shot 5-11 overall, 2-3 from deep, and went 4-4 at the charity stripe. Smith rounded out the Cougars' offense with 10 points while leading the team with eight rebounds.
Morehead State's scoring was led by Veronica Charles, who tallied 16 points. Halle Rhodes (12) and Matilda Soderlund (14) also finished in double-figures.
"We just need to find a way to make winning plays down the stretch," said Smith. "We're doing great things, but we need to find a way to finish."
SIUE continues its weekend road swing on Saturday, Feb. 10 with a trip to Southern Indiana. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT.
Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUEWBB on X, @SIUEWBB on Instagram, and SIUE Women's Basketball on Facebook.
