SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball

{{Infobox college basketball team

|name = SIU Edwardsville Cougars

|current = 2024–25 SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball team

|logo = SIUE Cougars logo.svg

|logo_size = 200

|university = Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

|conference = Ohio Valley

|location = Edwardsville, Illinois

|coach = Samantha Quigley Smith

|tenure =4th

|arena = The Sam M. Vadalabene Center

|capacity = 4,000

|nickname = Cougars

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|h_shorts= D81E05

|a_pattern_b=_redsides_2

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|a_body=000000

|a_shorts=000000

|NCAAchampion =

|NCAArunnerup =

|NCAAfinalfour =

|NCAAeliteeight =

|NCAAsweetsixteen =

|NCAAsecondround = D-II: 1999

|NCAAtourneys = D-II: 1994, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007

|conference_tournament =

|conference_season =

}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/w-baskbl/index|title=SIUE |website=Siuecougars.com |date= |accessdate=March 16, 2017}}

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.{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/w-baskbl/archive/allscores |title=SIUE Women's Basketball - All-Time Scores |website=Siuecougars.com|accessdate=March 16, 2017}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.siuecougars.com/sports/w-baskbl/2019-20/schedule |title=2019-20 SIUE Women's Basketball Schedule - SIUE |website=www.siuecougars.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830231522/https://www.siuecougars.com/sports/w-baskbl/2019-20/schedule |archive-date=August 30, 2019}}

SIUE fired coach Paula Buscher on March 19, 2021, after 9 seasons and a 117–152 record.{{cite news|url=https://www.pjstar.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2021/03/19/ncaa-womens-basketball-paula-buscher-fired-coach-siue/4770496001/|title=Peoria native, former Bradley women's basketball coach fired from SIUE|newspaper=Peoria Journal Star|first=Wes|last=Huett|date=March 19, 2021|accessdate=March 19, 2021}} The Cougars hired Samantha Quigley Smith from D-II Lewis University on April 27.{{cite news|url=https://www.wjol.com/lewis-samantha-quigley-smith-named-head-womens-basketball-coach-at-southern-illinois-university-edwardsville/|title=Lewis' Samantha Quigley Smith Named Head Women's Basketball Coach At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville|publisher=WJOL|date=April 27, 2021|accessdate=April 28, 2021}}