Box Score

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Eastern Kentucky’s women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome a poor first half in a 64-53 loss at Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Saturday.

EKU (11-11, 6-5 OVC) scored only 20 points in the first half while shooting 23 percent from the field, 22 percent from three-point range and getting out-rebounded by seven.

Marie Carpenter led Eastern with 17 points.  Jade Barber added 13 points and 19 rebounds, her seventh double-double of the season.

Jazmin Hill led SIU Edwardsville (14-8, 8-3 OVC) with 15 points.

With 14:12 left in the first half, the Lady Colonels led 9-7, but scored just six points over the next 13 minutes.  SIU Edwardsville went on a 21-6 run to take a 28-15 lead.  Eastern suffered through a five minute scoring drought during the Cougar run. 

The Lady Colonels put a stop to the run in the final minute of the first half.  Raechele Gray hit a pair of free throws and a three-pointer from the left corner by Mariah Lawrence as the horn sounded sent EKU to the locker room down 30-20.

Carpenter scored nine first half points, going 4-for-6 from the field.  The rest of the team was 3-for-24.

SIU Edwardsville led by as many as 15 twice during the first 11 minutes of the second half.  Six unanswered by Eastern got the visitors within nine, 50-41, with 6:05 to go. 

The Cougars missed a jumper to give the Lady Colonels a chance to get within six or seven, but a lay-up by Barber rimmed out and Hill knocked down a trey for SIUE.  The Cougars led by double digits the rest of the way.

EKU shot 38 percent in the second half and out-rebounded SIU Edwardsville by six.  SIUE shot 43 percent in the second half and 38 percent for the game.

The Lady Colonels will conclude their two-game OVC road trip on Monday at conference-leader Eastern Illinois.  Tip-off in Charleston is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.