EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE held Lindenwood to just 18 second-half points, grinding out a 58-47 Ohio Valley Conference win Saturday at First Community Arena.

The 47 points were the second fewest allowed by SIUE this year and the fewest against a Division I opponent.

The Cougars improved to 2-2 in OVC play and 9-6 overall. Lindenwood fell to 1-3 in league play and 6-9 overall.

SIUE got out to a hot start for the second consecutive game, pushing the lead to 9-2 in the first 4:30. The Cougars' advantage swelled to as many as 16 when a Jordan Pickett three-pointer made it 28-12 with 5:55 to play before halftime.

The Lions roared back before the break, using a 17-6 finish to the half to trim the deficit to 34-29 at halftime.

The Lions then scored the first five points of the second half to pull even at 34-34 with 18:22 left. Lindenwood stayed within striking distance until the Cougars used an 8-0 run to push the lead to 57-45 with 3:35 left.

Ray'Sean Taylor led SIUE with a game-high 18 points. He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Taylor added two assists and three steals. Desmond Polk pitched in 15 points to go along with two assists, two steals and two blocks. Myles Thompson scored eight points and also added three steals.

The Cougars finished with 16 steals, the second-highest total of the year, and the most against a Division I team. SIUE also forced 10 Lindenwood turnovers, and scored17 points off the Lions' miscues. The two teams each finished with 41 rebounds.

Neither team shot better than 40 percent. The Cougars connected on just 35 percent (23-66) of their shots while Lindenwood knocked down just 32 percent (17-53).

Markeith Browning II led Lindenwood with 16 points. Jadis Jones and Anias Futrell each scored nine points.

SIUE travels to Charleston, Illinois Tuesday for a 7:30 game against Eastern Illinois.