SIUE ROUNDUP: EKU earns narrow win over SIUE – The Edwardsville Intelligencer

RICHMOND, Ky. – SIUE men’s basketball fell to its third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference defeat Saturday, dropping a 78-72 decision at Eastern Kentucky. The three conference losses have come by an average of six points.

“I am not a ‘moral victory’ kind of dude,” SIUE head coach Brian Barone said. “The reality is that our guys are fighting. There is no give up on this team and there isn’t going to be any give up with me.”

SIUE is now 1-3 in OVC play and 4-13 overall. EKU improved to 3-1 in the OVC and 6-12 overall.

The Cougars shot 50 percent (25-50) from the field, outrebounded the Colonels 34-32 and led by two at half, but couldn’t sustain the charge.

“Unfortunately we had some huge offensive rebounds we allowed late in the game,” Barone said. “We were getting stops and we were executing and then we let in a tip dunk and an and-one.”

EKU outrebounded SIUE 22-13 in the second half and connected on 20-24 free throws in the half and 27-35 in the game.

“We went zone a little bit more in the second half,” explained Barone. “And Anselm (Uzuegbunem) and Mike (Adewunmi) were out with fouls so we had some smaller lineups.”

Playing against an almost-constant press, SIUE turned the ball over 17 times accounting for 16 EKU points. The Cougars were 16-25 (64 percent) at the free throw line for the game.

“I wish everyone could see how hard our guys are fighting and how far they have come and to give them the respect they have earned and they deserve because I believe in these guys so much,” Barone added. “That being said, you have to knock down free throws and you have to make the layups. We need to make some shots under duress.”

The Cougars collected 14 assists and saw four players score in double figures, led by Tyresse Williford, who scored a game-high 20 points and added six rebounds and five assists. Zeke Moore scored 17 points and Cam Williams and Brandon Jackson each scored 10 points.

“What that shows is that you have a bunch of guys who are figuring out how to play together,” Barone said.

EKU was led by Jomaru Brown who scored 20 points. Michael Moreno and Lachlan Anderson each scored 14 points and Tre King added 12 for the Colonels, who return to Edwardsville for a game February 8.

SIUE returns to First Community Arena for four straight games beginning Thursday with Tennessee Tech.

“When we go back home, we’re going to re-introduce this team to our community because we haven’t been there forever and I think they’re going to really proud of them,” Barone said. “Everyone in the locker room understands there is a bigger picture that we’re fighting for every day. But you still have to produce. We have to go get the next one and then figure out the next one after that.”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

RICHMOND, Ky. – With a one- or two-possession game in the final minutes, Eastern Kentucky hit 7 of 12 free throws in the fourth period to edge SIUE women’s basketball 49-46 at McBrayer Arena.

“We had that toughness that I was looking for in the third period,” said SIUE head coach Paula Buscher. “I had no problem with our grit and fight, and that was what I was searching for from this team.”

SIUE dropped to 3-12 overall and 1-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference. EKU improved to 7-8 and 1-3 in the OVC.

“I was disappointed we didn’t pull things off at the end, but that’s the game of basketball,” said Buscher.

The Cougars led 6-2 early in the first quarter, but shooting woes held them back. The team would score three points total in the second period and fall behind 21-12 at halftime.

With good looks at the basket not falling in the second period, SIUE made a charge against the Colonels in the third. Mikala Hall’s three-pointer with 43 seconds left in the third period made it tied 30-30.

“I don’t have an argument for how hard we played tonight,” said Buscher.

Teri Goodlett broke the tie with 27 seconds left in the third. EKU added a three-pointer by Samari Mawbray to open the scoring in the fourth period and take a 35-30 lead.

EKU never trailed in the fourth period, holding off multiple times when the Cougars cut the lead to a one-possession game.

SIUE shot 17 of 65 from the field (26.2 percent) while EKU shot 16 of 48 (33.3 percent).

Goodlett led all scorers with 13 points. I’Liyah Green and De’ayra Davis added 12 each.

Mikayla Kinnard paced the Cougars with 12 points and a career-best four steals. Christen King added 10 for SIUE.

The Cougars now return home to First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center and welcomes Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

TRACK AND FIELD

Iowa City, IA – Ethan Poston brought home gold for the Cougars in the high jump at the Hawkeye Invitational. He bested the field with a mark of 2.05m. This jump beat the second place finisher by .05m. Conor McCarthy’s 6.92m long jump put him on the podium in third place.

Another SIUE Cougar that made the podium at third place was Nick Matthews for his 18.85m weight throw. SIUE crowded the weight throw finals with third, fourth, and fifth place performances. Austin Lynch (18.46m) placed fourth, and John Barnes (18.27m) placed fifth.

“I am happy with this weekend’s performances…coming back from holiday break and training for just a week is not the easiest thing to do but the team stepped up,” said head Scott Block.

The women throwers were led by Alexis Hutchins with a sixth place weight throw of 16.26m and an eighth place shot put throw of 12.70m. Jaylyn Scales led the women sprinters with a ninth place finish in the 600m with a time of 1:45.02. Keri Burmester topped the distance runners with an eighth place finish in the 3000m (10:40.02).

“It is exciting to have the distance squad back after Christmas break. We had some really spectacular performances. Joseph Stone, Roland Prenzler and Keri Burmester each had performances that will put them at the top of the lists in the OVC,” said assistant coach CeCe Moore. The track team was best finished by Joe Stone, who ran a 1:55.18 800m final, good for a third place finish. Roland Prenzler led the distance runners with a 8:48.56 3000m fourth-place final run. The 4×400 relay team took fifth place with a time of 3:27.38.

WRESTLING

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Gage Datlovsky’s first major decision of the season set the pace early, but SIUE wrestling fell to Mid-American Conference rival Buffalo 26-12.

“We wrestled hard, and I’m proud of the effort,” said SIUE head coach Jeremy Spates.

Buffalo improved to 7-6 overall and 3-2 in the MAC, extending its dual meet winning streak to five matches. The Cougars dropped to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in the MAC.

Datlovsky overpowered Jordan Reyes in the opening match at 125 pounds 15-2. SIUE also picked up wins from Tyshawn Williams at 149 pounds, Kevin Gschwendtner at 174 pounds and Colton McKiernan at 285 pounds.

“We’re frustrated with the loss, but we feel like we are getting better as a team,” said Spates. “We have to keep working.”

SIUE’s next action is next Saturday at Central Michigan. The home MAC season begins Jan. 24 in First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center against Cleveland State.