CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri women's basketball (8-6, 1-0 OVC) defeated Belmont University (8-6, 0-1 OVC) Thursday in its Ohio Valley Conference opener, 81-74.
 
With the win, Southeast recorded its first win in an OVC opener since the 2006-07 season and defeated Belmont for the first time since they joined the OVC.
 
Bri Mitchell recorded a new career-high 23 points in Thursday's victory. Mitchell hit eight field goals and was 7-of-8 from the foul line.
 
The Redhawks started the game with a 5-0 lead on the Bruins but Belmont used back-to-back 3-pointers by Darby Maggard to take a 6-5 lead on Southeast.
 
Belmont found a three-point lead with six minutes to play in the first but Southeast finished the frame on a seven-point run to lead 17-12 after the first quarter. The quarter ended with a fall-away jumper by Mitchell at the buzzer to widen the Redhawk lead to five.
 
A layup by Corneisha Henderson gave the Redhawks a seven-point lead to start the second quarter, 19-12.
 
Belmont battled to retake the lead by four, 30-26, with 3:49 to play.
 
The Redhawks remained within striking distance and found a lead with 30 seconds left in the quarter. The period ended with Southeast up by two, 36-34.
 
Mitchell led the squad with 16 first-half points. Erin Bollmann was close behind with nine points in the half.
 
Southeast was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the half and shot an efficient 44.8% (13-for-29).
 
Southeast maintained a lead much of the third quarter until about three and a half minutes to play. Back-to-back 3-point buckets by Maggard gave the Bruins their last lead of the game, 52-50.
 
The Redhawks ended the third period on an 11-point run to lead 61-52 going to the fourth and final frame.
 
Southeast's largest lead of 16 points came on a 3-pointer by Hannah Noe with 4:29 to play.
 
The Bruins hit a trio of 3-pointers in the last four minutes to stay close to Southeast. Belmont ended the game hitting five of their final five field goals.
 
The Redhawks were able to fend off the Bruins long enough to pick up their first conference victory of the season, 81-74.
 
Imani Johnson earned her second-straight double-digit point game with 15 points. Johnson extended her free-throw streak to 29 straight makes but saw it come to an end in the fourth quarter.
 
Noe hit four 3-pointers en route to 12 points in the game. Bollmann earned her third-straight double-digit point game with 11.
 
Henderson finished with a new season/career best nine points and three steals.
 
Deja Jones saw her four-game double-digit point streak snapped after putting up only three points; however, she finished the game as Southeast's rebounding leader with eight in the contest.
 
Connor King tied a career-best four blocks in the game.
 
 The Redhawks shot 53.1% (17-of-32) in the second half to finish the game shooting 49.2% from the field.
 
Belmont had five players with double-figure point performances. Sally McCabe led the Bruins with 17 points and nine rebounds.
 
As a team, Belmont hit 11 3-pointers.
 
Belmont entered the game outrebounding their opponents by 10 rebounds a game. The Redhawks were able to rebound right with the conference leading Bruins as each team pulled down 38 boards.
 
The Redhawks will bring their five-game homestand to a close Saturday, Jan. 2 when Tennessee State comes to town. The Redhawks and Lady Tigers tip off at 2 p.m. from the Show Me Center.