Box Score

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Eastern Kentucky concluded a three-game road trip with a 54-44 loss to Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Monday. The Lady Colonels (6-11) committed 23 turnovers and were out-rebounded by nine.

The Cougars (3-16) turned EKU’s turnovers into 19 points and converted 17 offensive rebounds into 11 second chance points.

Freshman Kayla Drake led Eastern with 14 points, but made only three of 13 attempts from the field. Senior Ilona Muszak finished with nine points, nine rebounds and three assists. Cherie White also contributed nine points and nine rebounds.

Jenny Wuest led SIUE with 16 points. Ashley Bey scored 12 points. Jessie Stapleton grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

The two teams combined for four points and 11 turnovers in the first six minutes of the game. It didn’t get much better for either team for much of the first half. Through the first 16 and a half minutes the two teams were 11-for-40 from the field and had combined for more turnovers (25) than points (23).

After hitting only four of their first 19 attempts from the field the Lady Colonels made baskets on back-to-back attempts to go on top 13-10. Muszak’s three-pointer with 3:51 remaining in the opening period gave EKU a three-point advantage. A second trey by Muszak stretched the lead to six, 16-10, with 2:35 before halftime.

Eastern added only one free throw in the final two and minutes and took a 17-13 lead to the locker room. The Lady Colonels shot 28 percent (7-for-25) and turned the ball over 15 times in the first 20 minutes of play. SIU Edwardsville connected on 25 percent (6-for-24) of its shots and totaled 14 turnovers.

The offenses sparked in the opening five minutes of the second half, combining for 24 points. The Cougars scored six of the first eight points and tied the game, 19-19, on a basket by Stapleton with 18:29 on the clock. EKU scored the next six points, including a three by Muszak with 17:19 left in the game, to move back in front 25-19. Just as quickly SIUE scored six straight to tie the game again. A jumper by Melia Duncan with 15:34 to go knotted it at 25-25.

The lead changed hands three more times and was tied on four more occasions before the Cougars took the lead for good on back-to-back jumpers by Wuest. Her baskets gave SIUE a 41-38 edge with 4:45 left to play.

The Lady Colonels will finish off a stretch of four straight road games when the face rival Morehead State on Saturday. Tip-off in Morehead, Ky., is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.