Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky's women’s basketball team took a 21-point lead with 12:18 left in the game but had to hold off a rally by Southern Illinois Edwardsville in a 58-53 victory on Wednesday night at McBrayer Arena. The Cougars used a 25-7 run to close the gap to three in the final minute of play.

Eastern Kentucky (9-9) used a 10-0 run early in the second half to build the big lead. After scoring five points in the first 2:20 of the second stanza to get within nine, SIU Edwardsville (4-17) went 6:34 without scoring. A pair of free throws by Michaelea Kleist with 12:18 left to play capped the run and pushed the lead to 21 points, 49-28.

After missing on their first 11 three-point tries, the Cougars connected on three straight attempts during a 19-5 run that cut the EKU lead to seven, 54-47, with 4:43 left in the game. The Lady Colonels went more than four and a half minutes without scoring.

After a pair of free throws by Alex Jones, SIUE rolled off five straight to close within three, 56-53 with 57 seconds to go. Ashley Bey missed on a second free throw attempt that would have cut the lead to two, and then the Cougars missed a pair of jumpers that would have gotten them within one. Shakeyia Colyer went to the line with 11 seconds left and made 1-of-2 attempts to make it a four-point game and seal the victory.

Colyer contributed a career-best 15 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. Fellow freshman Kleist contributed 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Courtney Kenner made two three-pointers during the SIU Edwardsville run and finished with a team-high 13 points. Bey posted 12 points, four rebound and four assists.

EKU out-rebounded SIUE 46-30 but committed 23 turnovers, compared to nine for the Cougars. SIU Edwardsville out-scored the Lady Colonels 16-5 off turnovers. Eastern turned the ball over 15 times in the second half, including nine times during the SIUE run.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Sarah Fraser-Jones midway through the first half allowed EKU to stretch a one-point lead into a seven-point advantage. Her second trey made it 19-12 with 8:53 to play before intermission. The Lady Colonels connected on their first four three-point attempts and led 22-13 after a triple by Brittany Coles with 7:40 showing on the clock.

A jumper by Kleist with 2:13 remaining in the first half stretched the Lady Colonels lead to double figures, 32-21. Eastern ended the first half on an 8-2 run and led by 13, 36-33, at the break.

The Lady Colonels will host Morehead State on Saturday at McBrayer Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will air live throughout Kentucky on Wazoo Sports Network, channel 305 on Time Warner Cable in Richmond.

Notes
SIU Edwardsville is transitioning from Division II to Division I. SIUE has been granted membership in the Ohio Valley Conference and will begin playing a conference schedule in 2011-12.

Freshman Shakeyia Colyer matched her career-high with 10 points in the first half. She finished with 15 points.

EKU’s 21-point second half lead was the largest lead in any game this season by the Lady Colonels.

All 10 Lady Colonels that played in the game scored at least two points and grabbed at least one rebound.

EKU has held 10 of its last 13 opponents to 60 points or less.

Eastern Kentucky has out-rebounded 12 of its 18 opponents this season.

The Eastern Kentucky bench has out-scored its opponents’ bench in 11 straight games.

The all-time series between SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Kentucky is now tied 1-1.

EKU sophomore Jasmine Lewin started for the first time this season. She scored Eastern’s first points of the game, knocking down her first three-pointer of the season.