SIUE Men, Women Beat EIU In Basketball

SIUE hit nine straight shots over a seven minute stretch late in the first half as the Cougars snapped the nation’s longest losing streak at 15 games with a win over Eastern Illinois, 78-59, at the Vadalabene Center.

The lost prevented EIU from posting its third winning season since 2001 as the Panthers end the year at 14-15 overall, 6-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference.  SIUE ends the year at 6-24 overall, 1-15 in the OVC.

After hitting a combined 32 3-pointers in two road games last week, EIU was cold from beyond the arc on Saturday evening as the Panthers finished 3-of-14 from 3-point range.

Senior Demetrius McReynolds banked in one of his two 3-pointers early in the game as EIU built an 18-13 lead.  SIUE then went on a 13-0 run with Burak Eslik hitting a 3-pointer and converting a three point play during the run. Eslik had a game high 22 points, one of two Cougar players with 20 or more points.

McReynolds hit his second 3-pointer of the game in the final twenty seconds of the first half and completed a four point play as EIU trailed 37-29 at the half.

In the second half EIU was able to drive to the basket to score points as the Panthers were 18-of-24 from the line to stay competitive in the game.  Muusa Dama was 8-of-10 from the stripe as he had 18 points to go with 12 rebounds.

EIU was cold from the field in the second half shooting 25 percent (6-of-24) as they ended the game shooting 34 percent from the field.

SIUE was consistent on offense in both halves with Josh White hitting several big shots in the second half for the Cougars as he finished with 20 points.  EIU was able to cut the SIUE lead down to six points on a couple of occasions in the second half, the final time on a Dama jumper with 9:38.

McReynolds finished with 13 points in his final game at EIU.  Joe Kuligoski also played his final game in a Panthers uniform on Saturday evening.

Jalen Henry scored 13 points and Devin Thornton added 12 for SIUE.

SIUE 68, EIU Women 52

The Eastern Illinois women's basketball team went cold from the floor Saturday afternoon falling to SIU Edwardsville 68-52 in their season finale.

The Panthers finish the 2016-17 season with a 9-19 overall record going 5-11 in conference play.

Zharia Lenoir led the Panthers with 12 points while Erica Brown nearly recorded a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Both teams traded buckets early in the game until SIUE gained a 13-6 lead at the 3:14 mark off a 7-0 run capped off by free throws from Donshel Beck.

The Cougars kept their seven-point lead heading into the second period leading 16-9, but EIU chipped away early with a 7-2 run to open the second period.

Halle Stull had five of her nine points in the game during the Panther run to pull EIU within two 18-16 with 7:57 left to play in the first half. The Panthers only scored one more bucket the rest of the quarter as EIU went cold from the floor going 1-for-14 in the closing minutes of the half.

A three-pointer from Beck as the buzzer sounded sent the Panthers into halftime trailing 31-18. EIU shot only 17.6 percent in the second quarter.

EIU got to within six points in the third quarter following a 7-0 run capped off by free throw from Lenoir at the 3:01 mark to make it 41-35. Lenoir scored all 12 of her points in the second half.

EIU closed out the third quarter trailing 49-39 despite out-shooting the Cougars 21-18 in the period.

SIUE extended their lead to as much as 22 points as the Panthers went 0-for-7 to open the fourth quarter. EIU recorded their first bucket of the period at the 3:57 mark as Lenoir hit a three-pointer to make it 62-43.

EIU scored the final eight points of the quarter finishing the game shooting 29.7 percent.

Beck led all scorers with 20 points and eight rebounds as SIUE out-rebounded EIU 48-36.