Southeast Missouri at Saint Louis
Game Information
Date: Saturday, November 14, 2015
Tipoff: 3 p.m.
Location: St. Louis, Mo.
Arena: Chaifetz Arena
Series: Saint Louis leads 11-8
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (0-0, First Season); Lisa Stone (39-53, Fourth Season)

Media Information 
Radio: SEMO ESPN 1220 AM (Todd Bonacki, Jess Bolen) | Listen Live
Live Stats: SLUBillikens.com
Twitter Updates: @SEMOwbb
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri

Redhawks Begin 2015-16 Season at SLU
Southeast Missouri women's basketball will officially open the 2015-16 season on the road at Saint Louis University. The Redhawks and Billikens will tip the season off at 3 p.m. on Saturday from Chaifetz Arena. 

Follow the Redhawks
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on SEMO ESPN 1220 AM. Todd Bonacki will provide play-by-play while Jess Bolen will provide color. Fans can download the SEMO ESPN app to listen to live broadcasts of Redhawks basketball all season long. Live stats can be accessed online at GoSoutheast.com and SLUBillikens.com. 

A New Era in Redhawks Basketball
The Redhawks will officially usher in the Rekha Patterson era on Saturday at Saint Louis. 2015-16 will be Patterson's first year as head coach of the Redhawks. Patterson is the first African American head coach in Southeast Missouri women's basketball history and the first female head coach in its Division I era. 

Series History
The Redhawks are 8-11 all-time against Saint Louis; 6-5 since joining Division I. On the road, Southeast has gone 3-6 at Saint Louis. The Redhawks look to break a two-game losing streak to the Billikens. Southeast last defeated SLU on Jan. 9, 2013, 59-52. 

Opening on a High Note
The Redhawks have opened the last three seasons with a win. Southeast defeated Alabama A&M to begin the last two seasons and Wright State to open the 2012-13 season. The Redhawks are 13-11 in season openers in the Division I era.

OVC Preseason Poll
The Southeast Missouri women's basketball team was picked to finish 12th in the 12-team Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll. The Redhawks finished the 2014-15 season 10-19 overall and 3-13 in league play. Southeast has not made the OVC Tournament since 2009. SIUE was picked to win the league in 2015-16 with 226 points. Reigning OVC Champs UT Martin were picked second with 213 points. 

Looking at the Billikens
The Saint Louis Billikens return all five starters from a season ago. Lisa Stone begins her fourth season at the helm of the Billikens. Last season, Saint Louis finished 15-16 on the season and 7-9 in Atlantic 10 play, finishing tied for 8th in the league. The Billikens played their only exhibition game on Saturday against Harris-Stowe. The Billikens blew the Hornets out of the water, 107-31, in the tilt. The Hornets were held to single digits in three of the four quarters. Denisha Womack recoded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Five other Billiken players had double-digit points. 

Exhibition Recap
Southeast Missouri picked up a pair of victories in their two exhibition games last week. The Redhawks combined for 217 points in the two games, topping the century mark in each matchup. Southeast downed Oakland City on Sunday, Nov. 1, 109-66. Deja Jones, Olivia Hackmann, and Imani Johnson all tallied 18 points in the game. The Redhawks used the post heavily in the game, scoring more points in the paint (68) than allowing Oakland City to put up as a team (66). The team remained hot in their second exhibition against Lindenwood-Belleville on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 108-59. Hackmann exploded for 27 points while Hannah Noe scored 21, all off 3-pointers. Erin Bollmann came off the bench and recorded a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds). 

Number 500
Senior forward Connor King is quickly approaching her 500th career rebound. King currently has 478 in her three-year career. In her career, she has averaged 5.7 rebounds. Last year, King pulled down 237 rebounds (8.2 per game). 

Looking Ahead
The Redhawks will play the home opener against Harris-Stowe on Monday, Nov. 16. The Redhawks and Hornets tip off at 6:30 p.m. from the Show Me Center. Southeast will then hit the road for Alabama A&M on Nov. 18 before returning home for a matchup against Missouri-Kansas City on Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Monday Night Madness
The Redhawks will be holding Monday Night Madness when they host Harris-Stowe on Nov. 16. Southeast Missouri State students have the opportunity to win prizes and giveaways during the game. 12 local restaurants and businesses will be donating gift cards and prizes that will be raffled off throughout the game. In order to win, students must enter through the student gate near the Recreation Center and must present a Southeast student ID in order to receive a raffle ticket. Additionally, the first 150 students will receive a free Chick-fil-A sandwich card.

Redhawks Ink Three in Early Signing Period
The women's basketball team signed three student-athletes during the early signing period this week. The Redhawks picked up a pair of guards in Iyanna McCurdy (Friends' Central School; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Lakyn Gulley (Owens CC; Fort Wayne, Indiana) and forward LaShala Saine (West Memphis HS; West Memphis, Arkansas). 

A Whole New Coaching Staff
First-year head coach Rekha Patterson has assembled an entirely new coaching staff around her. The new staff brings a wide range of coaching experience to the table. James Arnold spent the last four seasons at the helm of the Central Methodist women's basketball program in Fayette, Missouri. In his four years as head coach, Arnold posted a 79-45 overall record. Chanté Crutchfield has seven years of head girls basketball coaching experience at the high school level. Jauwan Scaife spent the last two years as a graduate assistant/video coordinator with the Ball State men's basketball team. Brooke Sander-Hengst joins the women's basketball staff as the Director of Operations. She most recently served as a graduate assistant for Southeast Missouri's Purchasing Card Program while also having worked in the Accounts Payable and Athletics departments while also interning with the Accounting department as a student. 

New NCAA Rules
The NCAA implemented a number of new rule changes heading into the 2015-16 season. Most notably, NCAA women's basketball will now be played in four 10-minute quarters. Teams will now be awarded two free throws for each common foul beginning with the fifth foul in the period with no more 1-and-1's. The fouls reset after each period. Teams also have the option to advance the ball in the fourth period with 59.9 seconds or less on the clock. Advancing the ball will move the throw-in from the backcourt to the 28-foot line. 

2015-16 Schedule Outlook
The 29-game regular-season schedule features 13 home games and 16 road games. Southeast will play eight Ohio Valley Conference games at home and the other eight on the road. The schedule will feature 13 total games in the newly renovated Show Me Center. The OVC slate will begin New Year's Eve when the Belmont Bruins come to Cape Girardeau.

Season Tickets and Mini Packs on Sale
Basketball season tickets and a special mini-pack for Southeast Missouri's 2015-16 campaign are on sale now. Season tickets include all men's and women's home games for a total of 29 contests in the newly renovated Show Me Center. Tickets start as low as $95 for Upper Reserved, and lower-level seats at midcourt are available for just $150 with a $125 Redhawks Club donation. Season tickets and mini-packs are available online at GoSoutheast.com/tickets. Fans can also purchase tickets/mini-packs by calling or visiting the Southeast Athletics Ticket Office at (573) 651-2113 and 1221 Broadway in Cape Girardeau.