Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne converted 13 three-pointers Saturday en route to a 96-71 victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in women’s basketball.

Tierny Austin / Photo by SIUE Sports Information

The loss broke a two-game winning streak for the SIUE women’s basketball team at the Gates Sports Center. The Cougars are now 2-8. IPFW evened its record at 6-6.

Eight different Mastodon players connected on 61 percent (13-21) of their three-pointers and shot 55.4 percent (31-56) of their overall field goals in the win.

SIUE Head Coach Paula Buscher said the Cougars collectively need to step up on defense.

“They (IPFW) hit a few tough shots, but you can’t let a team shoot that well from the field. It boils down to us taking more pride in the defensive end,” Buscher said.

Ariana Simmons led all scorers for IPFW with 22 points off the bench.  Amanda Hyde added 16 for the Mastodons, with a team-leading four three-pointers.

Tierny Austin recorded her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. CoCo Moore shot 9 of 15 from the field and finished with a team-high 21 points.

“I thought Tierny played her tail off. She gave everything she had,” Buscher said.

Raven Warford set a new career high with 13 points off the bench. “We had some individuals who played hard and gave everything they have,” Buscher said..

After SIUE opened with the game’s first basket on a layup by Moore, IPFW set the tone for the rest of the first half. Hyde began The Mastodons’ surge with the first of her three-pointers. IPFW built a double-digit lead in the first six minutes of the game and did not look back.

SIUE dominated the boards with a 43-29 edge over IPFW. The Cougars grabbed 22 offensive boards but turned those second opportunities into just 10 points.

The Cougars now head to Drake, of the Missouri Valley Conference, for a noon contest Tuesday in Des Moines, Iowa.

“We are struggling right now, but we have the ability to be a good team,” Buscher said.