Edwardsville, Ill. – Despite 16 points from Haidyn Pitsch, the Maryville women's basketball team dropped an 85-66 exhibition decision at Division I SIU Edwardsville. Pitsch drained four 3-pointers to tie for game-high scoring honors. Antoinette Mussorici added 13 points, to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds.
 
The Saints scored eight straight points to jump to a 10-2 advantage to lead for most of the first quarter. Pitsch drained back-to-back triples, and a layup by Mussorici as Maryville stretched out its early edge. Mussorici sank a jumper as the Saints remained on top 12-4. A third trey by Pitsch handed the Saints a 15-6 lead at the 5:44 mark and forced the Cougars to call time out.
 
SIUE scored eight straight before two free throws by Mussorici were good for a 17-14 edge. The hosts scored the final eight points to take their first lead of the game. SIUE scored the first six points of the second quarter before Faith Hawthorne converted a layup. The Cougars built a double-digit lead but Rylee Mulvaney had a steal and a layup to pull the Saints to 43-34 at halftime.
 
SIUE was still up 52-42 before the Saints closed the gap. Pitsch sank her fourth triple of the game to cut the deficit to seven. Maryville chipped away at the gap and a Mulvaney 3-pointer trimmed the gap to 56-50 with 2:53 to go in the third. SIUE went back ahead 63-53 by the start of the fourth quarter.
 
Karlee Feldman scored in the paint as the Saints closed to 65-57 with eight minutes to play. However, the Saints went five minutes without a point as the Cougars pulled away in the final stanza.
 
The Saints begin the regular season with a road contest at Davenport Friday, Nov. 10.