SIUE clinched a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history with a 69-48 win over SEMO in the OVC Tournament championship game on Saturday night at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
The game started rough for the Cougars, as the Redhawks scored the first four points of the evening and took a 14-9 lead into the 12-minute media timeout. That was when SIUE finally came alive.
From that point, the Cougars outscored the Redhawks 26-10 to close the half with a commanding 35-24 lead, holding SEMO to 32.3% shooting from the field and 18.2% from beyond the arc.
SEMO attempted to close the gap in the second half, with Rob Martin hitting a pull-up jumper to tie the score at 38.
Determined to secure the win, SIUE responded with a 15-0 run, fueled by stifling defense and points in the paint, to take control and close out the victory.
OVC Player of the Year Ray’Sean Taylor led SIUE with 20 points and seven rebounds. His offensive showing allowed him to break SIUE’s program record for points in a career, as he now sits at 1,952 points.
SIUE’s Ring Malith contributed 12 points and seven rebounds. Martin led SEMO with 18 points, shooting 3-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.
Now, SIUE will get some much-needed rest as it awaits its NCAA Tournament destination on Selection Sunday next week.
