Preview: Morehead State Eagles at SIU Edwardsville Cougars

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (Interstat) — Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball play resumes Saturday when the SIU Edwardsville Cougars host the Morehead State Eagles at the Vadalabene Center.

The Cougars (8-5) enter with the stronger overall record, but are looking to rebound from a 70-55 home loss to Southern Indiana on Thursday. The Eagles (6-8) arrive with momentum from a narrow 51-50 road win at Lindenwood that same day.

SIU Edwardsville has shown resilience this season, including a double-overtime road win at Eastern Illinois and a victory over Valparaiso. However, recent offensive struggles were evident in losses to Southern Indiana and Western Illinois, where the team averaged just 53 points.

Morehead State has experienced uneven results, with a blowout loss to Notre Dame and a win over a strong Marshall team. The Eagles are 2-2 in their last four, relying heavily on the versatile play of forward Kate Dike. The junior is coming off a near triple-double with 8 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in 31 minutes against Lindenwood. Dike also scored a career-high 35 points in a win at Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 7.

The Cougars will counter with their own force in the post, Syanne Mohamed. The senior has been a consistent rebounding presence, pulling down 13 boards against Southern Indiana and averaging 9.2 rebounds over her last five games. Her defensive impact, including a 4-block performance at Valparaiso, will be key against Dike and the Eagle frontcourt.

SIU Edwardsville holds a 10-6 home record against Morehead State since 2009. The teams will meet again in Kentucky on Jan. 29.

Saturday’s contest tips off at 2 p.m. CST.