PDF Box Score | HTML Box Score & Play-by-Play | Photo Gallery
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – A cold shooting performance proved costly as the Southeast Missouri women's basketball team dropped a 64-46 decision to Ohio Valley Conference leader Eastern Illinois on Saturday.
The Redhawks fall to 9-15 on the season and 3-8 in OVC play. The Panthers are 15-8 and 9-2 in the conference.
“This was a frustrating afternoon,” Southeast head coach
Ty Margenthaler said. “We had a golden opportunity to take a game from the best team in the conference. Our effort wasn't there today, we came out flat and couldn't get it going. We had some spurts, but we didn't do what we had to do to win.”
After trading points early on, the Panthers used a 7-0 run to snap a 6-6 tie and go up 13-6 with 13 minutes left in the half.
Dru Haertling's jumper pulled the Redhawks within five, but EIU scored four in a row to grab a 17-8 lead midway through the opening frame.
Trailing 19-10,
Allyson Bradshaw came off the bench and drained a three to pull Southeast within six points. She then found
Courtney Shiffer open for a baseline jumper to make it 19-15 with 5:53 to go. Those points were Shiffer's first in three games since returning from injury.
EIU countered with baskets from Jordyne Crunk and Mariah King to extend its lead to eight points.
Jordan Hunter got to the basket for a layup to start a 6-2 Southeast spurt. Down 25-17, Hunter found
Kara Wright for a transition jumper and fed
Patricia Mack for a layup to pull the Redhawks within 25-21 with 1:04 remaining. Southeast had a pair of quality looks from three that wouldn't fall on the offensive end and EIU's Sabina Oroszova hit a three to give EIU a 28-21 lead at the break.
Three quick points by the Panthers put them ahead by 10 (31-21), but the Redhawks got hoops from
Brittany Harriel and Wright to pull within six points at 31-25. EIU countered right back with an 11-1 run to open up a 42-26 gap with just over 15 minutes left.
Baskets by Shiffer and
Bailie Roberts pulled the Redhawks within 44-32 with under 13 minutes left. Hunter nailed a three to extend the run to 7-0 and bring Southeast's deficit down to nine points midway through the final period. EIU's Kelsey Wyss ended the Southeast run when she drilled back-to-back three-pointers to put the Panthers back up double digits at 50-35. EIU's lead eventually reached 9-0 to double its lead at 53-35 with six minutes left. Southeast did not get closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Hunter was the only Redhawk to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points. Roberts led the team with eight rebounds and a career-high six assists.
Ta'Kenya Nixon led three EIU players in double figures with 14 while dishing out eight assists. Wyss tallied 13 points and King scored 11.
Southeast shot 32.3 percent from the field, went 3-of-26 (11.5 percent) from three-point range and made 3-of-6 (50 percent) free throws. EIU countered by making 39.6 percent of its shots, including 5-of-19 (26.3 percent) three-pointers, while going 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) from the line. The Panthers held a 40-38 edge on the glass and forced 14 Redhawk turnovers against only 10 of their own.
“We took way to many threes and weren't very disciplined which was disappointing.” Margenthaler said. We wanted to attack the basket and get to the line, but we only shot six free throws.”
Southeast is back in action on Monday when it hosts SIU Edwardsville at 11 a.m. as part of its Classroom on the Court initiative.
