St. Charles, MO. — Lindenwood’s women’s basketball team saw its 13-game home winning streak come to an end Thursday night, falling 74-65 to Western Illinois in the Ohio Valley Conference opener at Hyland Arena.
The Lions (7-4, 0-1 OVC) suffered their first home loss in 369 days, dating back to a 73-66 setback against Omaha on Dec. 14, 2024. Western Illinois (9-1, 1-0 OVC) began its strong start to conference play behind a dominant fourth-quarter surge.
“All the credit goes to Western, they deserved to win, plain and simple,” Lindenwood head coach Amy Eagan said postgame. “They got every loose ball, they out-rebounded us, and they made every play they needed to make.”
Mia Nicastro led all scorers with 23 points for the Leathernecks, shooting 11 of 18 from the field. Nicastro took over in the second half, especially after Western Illinois lost leading scorer Raegan McCowan to an arm injury in the third quarter.
“She’s a great player, tough to guard,” Eagan said. “She can do everything, from shooting the three to pull-ups to attacking the basket. She’s a three-level scorer and just a really tough matchup. When we got tired, we couldn’t match her competitiveness.”
Lindenwood placed three players in double figures, led by Brooke Coffey’s 16 points and nine rebounds. Mya Skoff added 15 points off the bench, while Ellie Brueggemann finished with 13 points, six assists and went a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Western Illinois also received a key contribution from Mallory Shetley, who scored 16 points off the bench in 30 minutes. Shetley helped limit Lindenwood leading scorer Aleshia Jones to four points on four shots while forcing three turnovers.
“I didn’t feel like she really showed up for us today,” Eagan said of Jones. “Credit to them, the pressure they put on her, both offensively and defensively, really affected the game.”
The contest featured momentum swings throughout. Lindenwood jumped out to an early 8-4 lead before Western Illinois answered with a 10-2 run to take a 14-10 advantage. The Leathernecks held an 18-16 edge after the first quarter.
The Lions responded in the second quarter with a 10-0 run, capped by a Gracie Kelsey layup in traffic, to take a 28-22 lead. Western Illinois trimmed the margin late, trailing just 34-33 at halftime.
The third quarter turned into a back-and-forth battle with 13 lead changes, and neither team led by more than three. Western Illinois took a 51-50 lead on free throws with five seconds remaining, but Skoff went coast-to-coast for an and-one to give Lindenwood a 53-51 edge heading into the fourth.
Lindenwood pushed its lead to six early in the final quarter, but Western Illinois seized control with a decisive 15-0 run to pull ahead 68-59 and never looked back.
“We were really soft,” Eagan said. “I don’t say that very often, but I’m really disappointed in how we showed up and how hard we didn’t play. They wanted it more than we did.”
The loss came a year after Lindenwood eliminated Western Illinois in the OVC Tournament semifinals. The teams will meet again Feb. 28 in the regular-season finale, a game that could have major implications for the OVC regular-season title and top seed in the conference tournament.
Lindenwood returns to action Sunday when it travels to face Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. CT. The game will stream on ESPN+ before the Lions return home for three straight games against Ottawa (Kan.), Morehead State and Southern Indiana.
