MACOMB, Ill. – Damarco Minor recorded his 10th double-double of the season and Shamar Wright added his second, but SIUE came up short in its final regular season game of the year. The Cougars fell to Western Illinois 76-65.
Minor scored 20 points and added 11 rebounds and Shamar Wright scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but SIUE dropped its third straight game. The Cougars finished the regular season 16-15 overall and 9-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference, tying the program record for OVC wins.
SIUE is the sixth seed in the OVC tournament and will face seventh-seeded Eastern Illinois in the first round.
Western Illinois finishes the regular season 20-11 overall and 13-5 in its first season in the OVC. The Leathernecks are the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
Minor was 7-15 from the field, added two threes and was 4-5 at the free throw line. He also had two assists.
"He made some good effort plays and put us in good position," Barone said of Minor. "He was fatigued. We tried to spell him a little more."
Wright added four steals in the game and did not have a turnover.
"Shamar Wright really battled," Barone said. "That's what you expect from him."
SIUE shot just 34 percent (26-76) from the field, including going 5-24 (21 percent) from three-point range.
"We missed too many right at the rim," Barone added. "Then you start thinking about it and you try forcing some shots which aren't there at the rim."
Ray'Sean Taylor added 11 points and seven assists, while not committing a turnover.
"It was great to see Ray'Sean Taylor play that way," Barone said. "His mobility was really good. He's a heck of a player. It matters to him and he's doing everything he can to help this team win."
Dorion Staples scored nine points off the bench, one shy of his career high.
The Cougars tied their season low with just six turnovers. SIUE forced 11 turnovers from Western Illinois and used them to score 11 points. SIUE also outrebounded Western Illinois 44-40. The Leathernecks entered the game averaging more than 42 rebounds per game, which was fifth in the NCAA. They were 10th in rebounding margin at +8.8.
Ryan Meyers led WIU with 24 points. Jesiah West and Quinlan Bennett each scored 13 points.
The Leathernecks shot 50 percent (25-50) for the game and were 8-17 (47 percent) from three-point territory.
"We had too many stretches where we didn't rotate on the weak side and we lost our man," Barone said. "That's too many threes."
 The Cougars will open OVC play Wednesday at 9 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
"We're excited. I have a group of guys that mean a lot to each other and mean a lot to me," Barone said. "We're going to go out there and battle against every bit of adversity thrown at us."
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