Micah Jones recorded her second double-double of the season for SIUE women’s basketball, but the Cougars dropped a 69-60 decision Monday at the Vadalabene Center to Southeast Missouri.
Micah Jones / Photo by SIUE Sports Information
“Micah can score. That’s one of the many things she has proven,” said SIUE Head Coach Paula Buscher. “We try to get her as many touches as we can, but we need other players to knock down shots when she gets doubled down low.”
Jones provided 21 points- her team-leading fourth 20-plus point game of the season. The Cougar freshman shot 6 of 14 from the field and also pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds, dished out four assists, and grabbed three steals.
Southeast built a double-digit lead over the first 10 minutes of the game, pulling ahead 19-6 on a three-pointer by Olivia Hackmann with 9:30 to play. The Redhawks pushed the difference to as high as 15 but settled for a 33-23 lead at halftime.
Allyson Bradshaw led the Redhawks with 16 points. Olivia Hackmann scored 15, and Patricia Mack added 11. Southeast Missouri shot 47 percent from the field (25-53).
“I don’t think we stepped up defensively, and we didn’t have the communication you need to succeed,” Buscher said. “If you’re going to play defense then you need to be talking.”
The Cougars didn’t fare as well from the field, hitting 26 percent of their attempts.
“We had a lot of open shots, and we didn’t hit them,” said Buscher. “They double-teamed Micah every time she got the ball so we had players getting good looks. We need to knock those down.”
Ashley Capotosto was the only other Cougar scoring in double figures with 12 points.
SIUE, now 7-18 overall and 3-9 in the OVC, was coming off its signature win of the season but was unable to win a third straight game at home.
“The frustrating thing is that we played very well last weekend (against UT Martin), and we had a level of intensity needed to get it done,” Buscher said. “But tonight we came out flat.”
The Cougars now head on the road for their next three contests beginning with a meeting at Austin Peay Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
