SIUE Cougars (3-5, 0-0 OVC)
at Bradley (3-5, 1-0 MVC)
Saturday, December 4, 2:00 p.m.
Carver Arena (11,433)
Peoria, Illinois

LAST TIME
SIUE used a torrid start and strong first half to propel itself to a 75-65 win over Omaha Tuesday night at Baxter Arena. The Cougars never trailed on their way to their second road win of the season. The Cougars scored the first nine points and were up by 20 (25-5) after a three-pointer by Ray'Sean Taylor with 13:23 to play before halftime. A layup by Shaun Doss, Jr. with 4:09 to play in the half gave SIUE its largest lead at 47-16. The Cougars led 49-24 at the break, giving them their largest halftime lead of the year and the most points they had scored in a half. The Cougars held off a comeback attempt for the 10-point road win. 

SHARP SHOOTERS
SIUE hit 47 percent of its shots at Omaha and has hit at least 45 percent of its shots in five games this year. The St. Thomas game being was the Cougars' best at 50 percent. Last year, the team's season-best was 58 percent against Tennessee Tech and SIUE shot at least 50 percent in a game eight different times. 

ROAD WARRIORS
Today is the SIUE's eighth road game of the season. After today, the Cougars will have played eight of their first nine games away from Edwardsville this year. With six road wins in 2020-21, SIUE set a new mark for road wins in a season in the Division I era. 

TAYLOR DEBUTS
Taylor collected double-doubles in both games in Omaha. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds at Creighton and 13 points and 12 assists at Omaha. He was the OVC Freshman of the Week after averaging 20.0 points per game in his first two games. He is fourth in the OVC in scoring at 16.4 points per game, which is ninth in the country among freshman. Taylor is returning after missing last season with a torn right ACL. He is the all-time leading scorer at Collinsville High School with more than 2,100 points. He posted a 53-point game against Trinity (St. Louis) during his senior year.

COACHING CONNECTIONS
SIUE Head Coach Brian Barone is returning to Bradley, where his father, the late Tony Barone, Sr., was an assistant from 1978-1985. Brian worked under current Bradley Head Coach Brian Wardle for five years at Green Bay.