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CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Southeast Missouri women's basketball team ended up on the short end of a 53-48 contest to Eastern Illinois Saturday evening in Charleston, Illinois.
 
The two squads combined for 33 turnovers and shot just 36.2 percent from the field.
 
The loss drops Southeast to 7-16 overall and 3-7 in Ohio Valley Conference action. Eastern Illinois improves to 10-12, 5-6.
 
In a slow moving first half, the Redhawks scored the first five points of the game and increased its lead to six, holding a 10-4 advantage with 9:02 remaining in the first half.
 
With Southeast still holding a six-point advantage at 12-6, Eastern Illinois scored five quick points to cut its deficit to one. The Panthers would keep the pressure on ending the half on a 6-2 mini-run for a 19-16 lead.
 
"Both teams were sluggish in the first half," Southeast head coach Ty Margenthaler said. "We had a golden opportunity to extend the lead but our focus wasn't right."
 
The two squads combined for 21 turnovers in the first half and just 16-made field goals.
 
The second began to tell a different story as the Redhawks scored the first six points and 11 of the first 15 points to take a 27-23 lead.
 
Eastern Illinois managed to retake the lead at 30-29 that resulted in a see-saw affair for final 11:55 of the game.
 
The Panthers grabbed a four-point lead with 3:33 remaining as Sabina Oroszova sank a pair of free throws. But the Redhawks would quickly answer back with a 3-point basket off the hands of Allyson Bradshaw.
 
The trey tied Bradshaw with Paula Corder-King with 115 made 3-point field goals, which ranks fourth all-time.
 
EIU again answered back with a free throw and a 3-point basket by Jordyne Crunk.
 
Trying to keep pace, Jordan Hunter hit a long-range shot of her own to keep the Panther lead at two points with 1:31 remaining.
 
The Redhawks immediately went into a full-court press and forced a turnover but Patricia Mack's 3-point attempt for the lead missed short. The Panthers went to the other end of the floor where Katlyn Payne sunk a 3-pointer that gave EIU the cushion it would need for the final 26 seconds.
 
Southeast had just five second half turnovers and doubled its point total scored in the half.
 
"Our focus was so much better in the second half," Margenthaler said. We had a lot better energy."
 
Olivia Hackmann scored 11 points to lead the Redhawks as Mack and Hunter each scored nine points apiece. Hunter added five assists and five rebounds.
 
Mack was the games leading rebounder with 11 as the Redhawks edged the rebound margin 38-37.
 
Payne led Eastern Illinois with 15 points. Just like in the first meeting, the Redhawks did a good job defending Oroszova, who averages a double-double of 18.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. She was held to 11 points and eight rebounds.
 
Southeast stays on the road, making the short trip to SIU Edwardsville for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Monday. Previously this season, the Redhawaks beat the Cougars 79-71 in Cape Girardeau.