RICHMOND, Ky. – Southeast Missouri women's basketball was held scoreless in the final five minutes of the Saturday's game to erase its 13-point lead on Eastern Kentucky (8-5, 2-1 OVC). EKU took its first lead of the game with 15 seconds to play, defeating the Redhawks 56-55.  
 
Southeast Missouri suffered its first Ohio Valley Conference loss of the season and is now 3-1 in league play, 10-7 overall.
 
"Yes this is a heartbreaking loss but if you call it 'heartbreaking,' I think that means we're really seeing a change in our program and we are not satisfied with being average," said head coach Rekha Patterson. "In the end, I believe the more aggressive team won."
 
The loss snaps Southeast's four-game winning streak and its hopes to open league play a perfect 4-0.  
 
Patterson added, "I told one of the players to let me know if she felt the team was feeling the pressure about being undefeated. I've been fortunate to be with a program that went undefeated for an entire season so I know what that's like. The difference is that team knew what success was like whereas this team is learning about success. No one like to lose but its okay to lose if you learn."
 
The Redhawks finished with three players sporting double-figure points, led by strong freshman performances by Imani Johnson and Adrianna Murphy.
 
Southeast Missouri opened with a lead on EKU that it never relinquished in the first 10 minutes of play. The Redhawks led by as much as eight in the first period.
 
Bri Mitchell drained seven points to lead the team in the quarter.
 
As a team, Southeast outrebounded the Colonels, 13-10, with Johnson pulling down four boards in addition to four points.
 
The Redhawks built on their first-quarter lead in the second to go up by as much as a dozen in the frame.
 
Murphy picked up her third steal of the game and ran the floor to drain a jumper, putting Southeast up 24-18 with 6:16 to play.
 
Neither team scored again for almost four minutes until Murphy scored a layup with 2:35 on the clock, widening the Redhawk lead to 26-18.
 
A jumper by Mitchell with 47 seconds left in the frame put Southeast up 30-18 going into halftime.
 
Mitchell led with nine first-half points while Murphy tallied eight points and four steals.
 
Southeast heavily outrebounded EKU in the half, especially on the offensive end. The Redhawks had 10 first-half offensive rebounds to the Colonels' three. Southeast pulled down 26 total boards, co-led by Deja Jones and Johnson with five each.
 
The Colonels narrowly outscored the Redhawks in the third frame, 19-16, to cut into the Southeast lead entering the final quarter.
 
A 3-point basket by Abby Wright with 2:09 to play was the final bucket of the third quarter. At the end of the frame, Southeast led by nine, 46-37.
 
The Redhawks were able to keep EKU at bay for the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.
 
With 4:57 left to play, Hannah Noe hit a 3-point basket to extend Southeast's lead to 13, 55-42.
 
EKU's defense and offense each picked up the final five minutes as it held the Redhawks scoreless and put up 14 points to take a one-point lead with 15 seconds left, 56-55.
 
The Redhawks were unable to score in the final seconds as they fell to the Colonels, 56-55.
 
Johnson narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds. Murphy was an all-around difference maker, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
 
"I have to be reminded that Adrianna and Imani are freshmen because they often times don't play like freshmen. I may get frustrated when they make a freshman mistake but I then remember they are freshman and that they are learning and growing. These young ladies want it and they will continue to get better and make our program better along the way," Patterson concluded.
 
Mitchell finished the game with 13 total points while Jones had 10 rebounds.
 
EKU continually stayed on the Redhawks' tail with six 3-pointers in the game; Southeast had one, their final basket of the game.
 
Shameekia Murray led the game for EKU with 16 points while Michaela Hunter had 15. Hunter hit the game-winning jumper  to give EKU its one-point lead.
 
The Redhawks return home Wednesday, Jan. 13 to host Jacksonville State. The Redhawks and Gamecocks tip off at 5:30 p.m. from the Show Me Center.