Southeast Missouri (9-6, 2-0 OVC) at Morehead State (6-9, 0-1 OVC)
Game Information
Date: Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016
Tipoff: 7:15 p.m., CT
Location: Morehead, Ky.
Arena: Johnson Arena
Series: Southeast leads 22-17
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (9-6, First Season); Greg Todd (18-27, Second Season)
 
Media Information 
Radio: SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM (Erik Sean) | Listen Live
Live Video: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: MSUEagles.com
Twitter Updates: @SEMOwbb
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri | Morehead State
 
On the Road Again
Southeast Missouri (9-6, 2-0 OVC) women's basketball returns to the road for the first time in almost a month when it travels to Ohio Valley Conference opponent Morehead State (6-9, 0-1 OVC) Thursday. The Redhawks and Eagles are slated to tip off at 7:15 p.m., CT, from Morehead, Kentucky.
 
Follow the Redhawks
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM. Erik Sean will provide play-by-play on the broadcast. 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 MSUEagles.com. Live Twitter updates are available on the official Twitter page of the Redhawks, @SEMOwbb. The game will also be streamed for free on the OVC Digital Network.
 
Series History
Southeast Missouri leads the all-time series against Morehead State, 22-17. The Redhawks are 8-10 in Morehead, Kentucky. Despite leading the all-time series, the Redhawks have lost 10-striaght games to the Eagles. Southeast's last victory against Morehead came on Feb. 7, 2008 on the road, 50-48. Southeast fell in last year's meeting, 64-59, in the Show Me Center.
 
Let's Recap
Southeast Missouri went 3-0 at home last week including opening OVC play 2-0 for the first time since the 2002-03 season. Bri Mitchell averaged 18.7 points over the three games. She netted a career-high 23 points in the conference opener against Belmont. She finished the week going 20-for-22 from the free throw line. Imani Johnson posted her first career 20-point performance versus Tennessee State on Saturday. She had 49 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and four steals on the week. She had her made free throws streak snapped at 29 versus Belmont. Ashton Luttrull came off the bench against Tennessee State and provided a much needed spark for Southeast. Luttrull posted a career-best 17 points and at one point drained three-straight 3-point buckets. The Redhawks finished their five-game homestand 3-2.
 
Looking at the Morehead State Eagles
Morehead State fell at UC Santa Barbara before dropping its OVC opener at Murray State last week. Sophomore Eriel McKee recorded her fourth double-double of the year with 21 points and 11 rebounds versus UC Santa Barbara. She added a team-best 14 points versus Murray State. She had three steals over the two games and is currently second in the nation in that category.  Junior Brianna McQueen averaged 11.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. She came off the bench versus UC Santa Barbara to score 16 points. Freshman Miranda Crockett scored a season-high 27 points to go with seven assists and four rebounds versus UCSB. She finished the week with 36 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists and five steals.
 
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks will continue their road trip Saturday at Eastern Kentucky. The Redhawks and Colonels will tip off at 3 p.m., CT, from McBrayer Arena in Richmond, Kentucky. Southeast will return home for a single game against Jacksonville State on Jan. 13 before embarking on another two-game road swing.
 
A Great Start to OVC Play
Southeast Missouri's 2-0 start in Ohio Valley Conference play is its best since the 2002-03 season. The Redhawks won their conference opener for the first time since the 2006-07 season. In two OVC games, Southeast is outscoring its opponents by 8.5 points a game and shooting a very respectable 45% from the field. From the free-throw line, Southeast is shooting 82% with 41 made free throws. Southeast last opened OVC play 3-0 in 1998-99 when it went 4-0 to begin league play, Southeast's best ever conference start.
 
Patience at the Line
A major improvement for the Redhawks this season is their free-throw shooting. Southeast is currently shooting 71% from the stripe. Southeast's 210 made free throws ranks 24th in the country. Individually, Imani Johnson's 93.3% (42-of-45) average is second-best in the country. Johnson was riding a 29-free throw streak to start the season before snapping it against Belmont. Southeast's 28 made free throws in the Tennessee State game is a league-best this season.
 
Back on the Right Track
With Thursday's win over Belmont, the Redhawks statistically improved to a positive scoring margin for the first time since Dec. 2. After the loss to Missouri, Southeast's scoring margin fell to -4.4. Since then, Southeast has gone 5-2 and outscored its opponents, 526-478, with a +6.9 scoring margin. Southeast is also outshooting its opponents, .431 to .400, from the field over the span. The Redhawks have also improved their turnovers per game during the span, lowing the figure by 2.5 turnovers a game.
 
In Front of the Home Crowd
Southeast is 5-2 in the Show Me Center this season. In home games, Southeast averages 76 points a game, 7.7 more than its opponents. Southeast shoots .429 on the Show Me Center floor. The Redhawks are a home win shy of matching their total home wins from a season ago (6-7).
 
Rebounding is What We Do Best
The Redhawks are among the best rebounding teams in the nation. Southeast Missouri ranks 12th nationally in total rebounds with 651 this season, which is second-most in the OVC to Morehead State (716). Southeast ranks 41st in rebounds per game, averaging 43.4 a game. The Redhawks are 7-1 when they outrebound their opponents this season and have a +3.7 rebounding margin.