The SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in the Ohio Valley Conference of NCAA Division I basketball. The Cougars play their home matches at the Sam M. Vadalabene Center located in the SIUE core campus in Edwardsville, Illinois.[2]
| SIU Edwardsville Cougars | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | ||
| Head coach | Samantha Quigley Smith (1st season) | ||
| Conference | Ohio Valley | ||
| Location | Edwardsville, Illinois | ||
| Arena | The Sam M. Vadalabene Center (Capacity: 4,000) | ||
| Nickname | Cougars | ||
| Colors | Red and white[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA tournament second round | |||
| D-II: 1999 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| D-II: 1994, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007 | |||
History
SIU Edwardsville began play in 1974. They made the NCAA Division II Tournament five times (1994, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007) before they joined Division I. They joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 2011. They made the 2012 Women's Basketball Invitational, their first ever Division I postseason appearance, though they lost to Wright State 73–64.[3]
The Cougars finished the 2019–2020 season with a 3-26 overall record. Their 1-17 OVC record put them at the bottom of the conference standings and kept them out of postseason play. SIUE's lone wins came against Missouri S&T, Evansville and Tennessee State.[4]
SIUE fired coach Paula Buscher on March 19, 2021, after 9 seasons and a 117–152 record.[5] The Cougars hired Samantha Quigley Smith from D-II Lewis University on April 27.[6]
Postseason
NCAA Division II tournament results
The Cougars made four appearances in the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament. They had a combined record of 1–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | First round | Michigan Tech | L, 47–60 |
| 1999 | First round Regional semifinals | Northern Michigan Michigan Tech | W, 67–61 L, 73–87 |
| 2001 | First round | Northern Michigan | L, 58–65 |
| 2007 | First round | Drury | L, 71–76 |
