T-town Graduate Jessie Wendt guides SIUE to Tourney Win

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE women's basketball earned its first-ever spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Monday with a 75-69 victory over Tennessee State.
 
The win improved SIUE's record to 14-13 overall and 8-7 in the OVC. Tennessee State fell to 11-14 overall of 7-7 in the OVC.
 
"We could've helped ourselves a little bit down the stretch by making some more free throws, but this game was about toughness.  Our team stuck together and communicated well down the stretch," said SIUE Head Coach Paula Buscher.
 
SIUE's five seniors played their final game at the Vadalabene Center. Raven Berry, Kiara Conner, Courtney Kenner, Michaela Herrod and Brooke Smith were honored before the game.
 
The big scorer for the Cougars, however, was freshman Jessie Wendt, a Teutopolis High School graduate. She doubled her previous career high with 24 points. Wendt was 8 of 13 from the field, 4 of 6 from three-point range, and 4 of 5 from the line.
 
"Jessie gave us great energy both offensively and defensively. She put the ball on the floor, made her threes, and gave the team a spark that everyone else fed off of," said Buscher.
 
Berry made her chase to become SIUE women's basketball's first player to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds nearly a reality. She grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds and picked up her fifth straight double-double by scoring 15 points.