EDWARDSVILLE, Ill- Western Illinois Men's Basketball faced a challenging OVC opponent on Thursday night, falling to SIUE with a final score of 77-66 at First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Illinois. Despite a spirited second-half effort, the Leathernecks couldn't overcome an early deficit, dropping to 7-7 overall and 1-2 in OVC play.
Marko Maletic had a game-high 28 points, including six three-pointers on just eight attempts. His shooting efficiency kept the Leathernecks in contention throughout the game especially in the second half. The Leathernecks trailed by as many as 19 and cut the Cougar lead to six with 4:54 left to go, but couldn't get a stop late in the second half. Ryan Myers added 17 points for WIU, draining three shots from beyond the arc and chipped in four assists and two steals. Sean Smith was a force on both ends for the Leathernecks contributing 13 points and grabbing 8 rebounds while leading the team in steals with four.
As a team, WIU shot 43.6% from the field and 43.5% from three-point range, connecting on 10 of their 23 attempts. Their resilience was evident in the second-half surge, where they outscored SIUE 36-35. The team also forced SIUE into 10 turnovers, converting them into 15 points.
The Leathernecks struggled to establish dominance inside, managing only 12 points in the paint compared to SIUE's 36. Their bench contributed just 8 points, and they allowed SIUE to shoot 60% from the field. Rodrick Payne had his best game of the season for WIU finishing with 6 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench knocking down all four of his free throw attempts.
WIU will look to bounce back as they prepare for their next conference matchup on Saturday at Eastern Illinois. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
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