The Lindenwood women's basketball team (3-12, 1-4 OVC) picked up its first conference win of the season after defeating SIUE (3-16, 0-6 OVC) by a score of 79-73 on Thursday night in Hyland Arena
 
GAME OVERVIEW
The Lions came out firing on all cylinders and would never trail in the opening frame. Lindenwood forced eight Cougar turnovers, which resulted in 16 points on the offensive end. Mya Skoff led all scorers with seven points in the first quarter on 3-of-4 shooting from the field. With this hot start, Lindenwood led 25-14 after one quarter.
 
Lindenwood continued to build on its lead throughout the second quarter. After an Ellie Brueggemann three at the 8:21 mark, the black and gold had their largest lead at 33-19. The Lions continued to pile on and expand its lead throughout the quarter. The home team finished the half on a 6-0 run and took a 44-25 advantage into the locker room. The Lions shot 66 percent from the field in the middle frame and 58 percent overall in the half. Brueggemann finished with 12 points, while Skoff added nine.
 
SIUE opened the third quarter on an 12-3 run to make the score 47-37. The Cougars would continue to chip away, but still trail 57-52 after 30 minutes.
 
The visitors cut the lead to 59-57 early in the fourth, but Lindenwood went on a mini 6-0 run to restore a 65-57 advantage. SIUE once again responded, cutting the deficit to 65-63 just before the halfway point of the quarter. Now it was Lindenwood's turn to respond, and they did. A jumper by Mykayla Cunningham and a layup from Alyssa Nielsen forced a cougar timeout with the score 71-63. The Lions were able to close it out at the line and earn a hard fought 79-73 victory.
 
GAME LEADERS
Alyssa Nielsen (16 points, 8-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists)
Justis Odom (15 points, 4-of-6 shooting, three rebounds)
Mykayla Cunningham (13 points, three assists, two rebounds)

QUOTABLE
"Super proud of our kids!," exclaimed head coach Amy Eagan. "A month ago, we wouldn't have been able to sustain SIUE's adjustments and run. We are growing! I love this group."

 
UP NEXT
The Lions will welcome Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon for a 1:00 p.m. tip inside Hyland Arena.