EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Five Cougars scored in double figures as SIUE outlasted Southern Indiana 82-76 Thursday at First Community Arena.

SIUE improved to 13-7 this year and 6-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southern Indiana dropped to 8-11 and 3-6 within the OVC.

Southern Indiana jumped off to an early five-point lead, but the Cougars answered with a Kyle Thomas layup to tie the game at 11 at the first media timeout.

The Screaming Eagles expanded its lead to nine (22-13) that was catapulted by a 7-0 scoring run midway through the first half.

SIUE trimmed the lead to three on a dunk by Desmond Polk but trailed by two (43-41) at halftime.

The second half featured nine lead changes with one of them coming at the 5:18 mark thanks to back-to-back layups by Ray'Sean Taylor which made the score 72-69.

Another Ray'Sean Taylor field goal gave the Cougars a 74-73 lead with 2:23 remaining.

SIUE stretched its lead to three on a pair of free throws by Brian Taylor II. A defensive stand on the ensuing possession and a pair of free throws put away the Cougar victory.

Ray'Sean Taylor led all scorers with 24 points, his fourth consecutive game with 20+ points. Taylor added two assists to go along with four rebounds.

Ring Malith scored in double figures for the fifth straight game with 10 points and four rebounds and dished out an assist.

Brian Taylor finished with 15 points shooting 4-8 from the field and 6-7 from the free throw line. The junior guard recorded three rebounds and added two assists.

Myles Thompson and Desmond Polk also scored in double figures. Thompson and Polk both finished with 10 points.

 It was the first time this season SIUE had five or more players score in double figures.

SIUE shot 28-59 (48 percent) from the field and 6-15 (40 percent) from the three-point arc. The Cougars connected on 20-27 (74 percent) free throw attempts.

Damoni Harrison anchored the Screaming Eagles offense, scoring 15 points on 5-10 from the field and delivered two assists along with eight rebounds.

Southern Indiana finished 27-56 (48 percent) from the field and 7-17 (41 percent) from three-point range. The Screaming Eagles shot 15-19 (79 percent) from the free throw line.

SIUE welcomes the first place Morehead State Eagles to Edwardsville on Saturday. The tip is scheduled for 3:30p.m.