NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Survive and advance.
Lauren White grabbed an offensive rebound and hit the go-ahead layup with 5.5 seconds left in overtime as SIUE women's basketball grabbed an 80-76 victory over Southeast Missouri in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
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SIUE, 18-12, advanced to the semifinals of the OVC Tournament for the second straight season and will play second-seeded Belmont Friday. Tip-off time is 2 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium.
Fans were treated to a game that featured 12 ties and 12 lead changes.
"What a game," said SIUE Head Coach Paula Buscher. "Hats off to SEMO. The thing we talked about before the game is that they (SEMO) play so hard. In the end, I think it ended up being defense and rebounding."
The Cougars came out slow against the Redhawks, which finished the season 15-15 overall. SIUE shot 29.6 percent from the field in the first half and was down by as many as nine points in the first period.
Senior CoCo Moore sparked the Cougars in the second half, scoring 15 of her career-high 23 points. Moore, named the OVC co-Defensive Player of the Year, finished as the game's leading scorer.
"I was just playing my game," said Moore. "I was doing what I can for my team, and that's ball pressure and defending."
Shronda Butts, the OVC's Player of the Year, turned in her 18th 20-point performance of the season and led the team with five assists.
"Our team showed a level of toughness, and I am so proud of them," Butts said.
Donshel Beck added her seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
Gwen Adams was the fourth Cougar in double figures with 12 points.
Southeast Missouri also had four players in double figures led by 14 from Erin Bollman. Adrianna Murphy scored 13 and added a game-high eight assists. Connor King finished with 12 points. Deja Jones added 11 points.
The Cougars and the Redhawks traded leads four times in the final three minutes of regulation. Beck tied the game 68-68 by making the back end of a two-shot foul with 18 seconds left. Southeast Missouri missed the final shot of regulation on an eight-footer in the lane by Brianna Mitchell.
"You have to keep playing and keep believing in each other," said Buscher. "That's what happened, and we finally got some shots to drop."
After SIUE survived regulation, Southeast Missouri gained the early overtime momentum with back-to-back three-pointers by Ashton Luttrell for a 74-71 lead. Butts countered with a three-pointer of her own from the top of the key to tie the game 74-74.
It was second chances that made the difference for the Cougars, scoring six points during the overtime period on extra offensive opportunities. That included the go-ahead bucket as Butts drove the lane and missed a contested layup. White was on the far side of the basket for the rebound and put it back in for the score and foul finishing off the three-point play. That gave SIUE a 79-76 lead before adding another free throw in the final second of the game.
"My job is just to go in there and rebound so I went after it and put it back up," said White.
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