EDWARDSVILLE – Mikala Hall scored a career-best 18 points Thursday, but the SIUE women's basketball team dropped a 79-62 decision to Austin Peay on Education Day in the First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center.
Teammate Allie Troeckler added 17 points to energize a boisterous crowd of 3,135 – the largest of the season -- yet Austin Peay proved too bouncy for the Cougars. The Governors improved to 16-10 overall and 7-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference. SIUE dropped to 3-23 and 1-14.
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"I thought we shot the basketball pretty well, but we need to take care of the ball better," SIUE Head Coach Paula Buscher said. "They scored 27 points off our 24 turnovers."
Six players scored in double figures for the Governors, who extended their OVC win streak to three in succession, a season high. Austin Peay made 28 of 61 shots, including 11 of 27 from three-point range, to defeat the Cougars the second time this season.
"They have some good shooters. They shot the ball well, and I thought they handled us on the boards better than they did when we played them the first time," Buscher said
The Governors used sizzling shooting to build a 39-24 halftime advantage and they never looked back. Austin Peay made 14 of 28 shots, including 6 of 12 from three-point land, the first half. The Cougars could get no closer than 49-38 the rest of the way.
Nevertheless, Hall and Troeckler kept spurring the Cougars. Hall made 6 of 10 shots, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. She also sank three free throws and grabbed seven rebounds. Troeckler tallied 14 of her 17 points the second half. She collected seven rebounds.
Mikayla Kinnard pitched in eight points for SIUE, which made 22 of 48 shots, including 5 of 14 three-pointers. The Cougars converted only 13 of 25 free throws and were outrebounded 33-32. They committed six more turnovers.
"Allie and Mikala were aggressive today, and they gave us some toughness," Buscher said. "They made things happen."
Hall, a 5-foot, 5-inch sophomore guard from Danville, Illinois, has accounted for 31 points in SIUE's last two games. She scored 13 on Feb. 15 at Southeast Missouri and that was her top scoring effort until the Education Day game that featured hundreds of youngsters from area grade schools. Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery sponsored the outing.
"Mikala is playing with more energy and with more confidence," Buscher said. "She's mentally stronger."
SIUE remains at home Saturday when the Cougars welcome Murray State at 4:30. Then the Cougars travel to UT Martin (Feb. 27) and return home against Eastern Illinois (Feb. 29) to close out the regular season schedule.
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