CHARLESTON, Ill. (Interstat) — SIU Edwardsville edged Eastern Illinois 59-52 in a double-overtime women’s basketball game Thursday afternoon at Lantz Arena. The visiting Cougars, who improved to 8-3, survived a late Panthers rally to secure the Ohio Valley Conference victory before a crowd of 319.

Eastern Illinois, which fell to 1-11, forced overtime by outscoring SIU Edwardsville 18-14 in the fourth quarter. Both teams managed only four points in the first extra period. The Cougars then controlled the second overtime, holding the Panthers to just two points while scoring nine. Macy Silvey led SIU Edwardsville. The result defied a national statistical projection that heavily favored Eastern Illinois.