Women's Basketball

Cougars Top Lake Superior State in OT
         BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - Lindsey Rujawitz hit a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left in overtime as Southern Illinois University Edwardsville women's basketball edged Lake Superior State 78-74.
         SIUE improved to 3-1 as it begins the Great Lakes Valley Conference season this Thursday with a 5:30 p.m. start at the Vadalabene Center against Bellarmine. The Cougars went 1-1 in the GLVC-GLIAC Classic held at Ferris State.
         Amber Shelton led all scorers with 24 points, including a pair of field goals in the overtime period.
         Shalyn Beauchamp led Lake Superior State with 19 points.
         SIUE may have thought it had the game won in regulation when Shelton hit a shot with seven seconds left. It would be Beauchamp who would counter with a field goal at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
         Elyse Morris, who led SIUE with seven rebounds, put the Cougars ahead quickly in overtime with a shot in the paint with 4:33 left. LSSU's Nicole Marshall hit her third three-pointer of the game in putting the Lakers ahead by one with 4:16 to play.
         SIUE took the lead 72-71 when Whitney Sykes converted two free throws with 2:20 left. Shelton would then record her two overtime field goals as SIUE took a 76-73 lead with just 38 seconds left.
         Rujawitz, a freshman, fouled Danielle Makins with 16 seconds left. Makins missed the first and then made the second, giving SIUE a slim two-point lead. Having little choice, the Lakers fouled Rujawitz, who was 1 of 4 from the line previously in the game. Rujawitz, who finished with 11 points, made both shots to seal the victory.
         Lake Superior State shot 50 percent from the field and made 10 of 23 from three-point range. SIUE finished at 47 percent in field goal percentage but shot a crisp 50 percent (8-16) from beyond the arc.
                  -siue-