After battling back from as much as 14 points down in the first half Tuesday, the Lindenwood University women's basketball team ran out of gas with fewer than 10 minutes left in the game at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

The Lady Lions erased a 12-point halftime deficit and took a 53-52 lead with 8 minutes 57 seconds left after freshman guard Kassidy Gengenbacher made two free throws. SIU-E sophomore guard/forward Jessie Wendt sank a three-point basket 10 seconds later and the Cougars raced to a 15-1 run  in a 85-63 win at Vadalabene Center.

It was the second and last exhibition game for the Lady Lions, who played their second straight Division I opponent. The Lady Lions beat Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 70-55 Saturday and finished 1-1 in exhibition play. They tip off the regular season Nov. 9 at University of Arkansas Monticello.

SIU-E made 30 of 53 field goals (56.6 percent) as the Cougars pulled away in the second half. Wendt led all scorers with 23 points. Lindenwood shot 31.2 percent from the field and was led by sophomore guard Dru Haertling's 14 points. Haertling played in a team-high 30 minutes. Senior guard Marissa Lehnig (11 points) was the other Lindenwood player to score in double figures.

The Lady Lions made 19 of 24 (79.2) free throws against the Cougars and 27 of 35 (77.1) in the two exhibition games. Gengenbacher, from Quincy, Ill., made all six of her free-throw attempts Tuesday.

The Cougars controlled the action in the paint and on the boards, outscoring the Lady Lions inside 44-22 and outrebounding them 47-29. SIU-E freshman forward Micah Jones grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Lehnig led the Lady Lions with five rebounds.