Jan. 4, 2010

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Illinois State kept everyone on the edge of their Vadalabene Center seats Monday night.

Maggie Krick would hit four free throws over the final eight seconds to give Illinois State a 70-66 victory over the Cougars in women's college basketball.

Ashley Bey scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed six steals to lead the Cougars. Bey's three-pointer with three seconds left cut Illinois State's lead to 68-66 before Krick made the final two free throws.

"Her instincts are incredible on defense," said SIUE Coach Amanda Levens of Bey. "She's become a disciplined defender."

Both teams shot extremely well in the first half. Illinois State hit 60.7 percent of its shots, including a three-pointer by Katie Broadway with nine seconds left to put the Redbirds up 45-37 at halftime. SIUE shot 54.5 percent in the first half and hit all 10 of its free throw attempts.

Both teams picked up defense in the second half. SIUE won the scoring battle in the second half, and Levens was pleased with SIUE's performance over the final 20 minutes.

"Defensively in the second half, I thought our team was fantastic. They played great team basketball. They played with fight every single possession," said Levens. SIUE would have 13 of its 16 steals in the second half.

The Cougars would turn in their best performance of the season from beyond the arc and at the free throw line. SIUE shot 6 of 11 (54.5 percent) from three-point range and finished 12 of 13 from the free throw line.

Melia Duncan pumped in 11 points for the Cougars, including three three-pointers. Michaela Herrod added 10 points.

Krick finished as the game's leading scorer with 21 points and six assists. Center Nicolle Lewis scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Broadway led Illinois State off the bench with 14 points, including four three-pointers. Emily Hanley added 11 points for the Redbirds, now 8-5.

"We've now put two back-to-back games that we have played well. And I'm proud of our effort and execution of the game plan. I feel if we do that the wins will come," said Levens.

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