MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri women's basketball (5-7) dropped a heartbreaking two-point game at Memphis (4-6) on Friday evening, 65-63.
 
Down by five at halftime, 30-25, Southeast outscored the Tigers 38-35 in the second but it wasn't enough in the end.
 
Bri Mitchell tallied a team-best 17 points in her hometown on Friday. The senior from Germantown, Tennessee also added seven assists and was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
 
Hannah Noe turned in her ninth double-digit point game of the season with 13 points. Adrianna Murphy finished with 10 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter. Friday's 10-point performance was Murphy's first double-digit point game of the season and was a season-high in points for the sophomore.
 
While tying a season-low six points, Olivia Hackmann did record a team-best five rebounds with a season-best two blocked shots.
 
As a team, the Redhawks outshot the Tigers 47.1 percent (24-of-51) to 42.9 percent (27-of-63). However, Memphis dominated the boards, 38-25, while also pulling in 21 offensive rebounds resulting in 22 second chance points in the Tigers' favor.
 
After committing 16 turnovers in the first half, the Redhawks only committed five in the second while forcing 10 on Memphis. The Tigers flipped SEMO's mishandlings into 19 points while the Redhawks had 14 off Memphis'.
 
Southeast led the way for much of the first half of the opening stanza and led by as much as three in the first five minutes. Up 11-8, the Redhawks went scoreless just over four minutes, allowing Memphis to score nine points and open a 17-11 lead. Iyanna McCurdy pulled Southeast out of the drought with an elbow jumper with 1:19 to play. Southeast turned the tables and held the Tigers scoreless the final two minutes and 48 seconds. The first quarter ended with SEMO trailing by three, 17-14.
 
Mandy Madden and Noe each had five first-quarter points. Madden scored the first five points of the game for the Redhawks. Mitchell dished out four assists in the opening quarter.
 
It was a relatively low-scoring second quarter with Memphis narrowly coming out on top in the frame, 13-11. Down nine, 25-16, Mitchell fired off a jumper followed by a 3-pointer to cut the Tiger lead to four. The half ended with the Redhawks down by five, 30-25.
 
Mitchell scored seven points in the second quarter to move into the team lead for scoring. Madden also had seven first-half points to co-lead with Mitchell at half.
 
The Redhawks found themselves down at half despite shooting a better 47.6 percent to Memphis' 43.3 percent. It was the Redhawks' 11 turnovers, resulting in 14 Tiger points, that condemned SEMO in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Southeast also cut down on its fouling the second quarter. After the first, SEMO had three players with two fouls each. There was only one Redhawk foul in the second quarter.
 
SEMO came out strong in the third quarter, winning the frame 21-18 and cutting the Tiger lead to two going to the final frame. SEMO sliced the lead to two early but Memphis quickly went back up by seven, 37-30. Southeast worked diligently to tie the contest up at 43 all with 2:20 to play. After Memphis scored five-straight points, Hackmann hit a 3-pointer, her first basket of the game, to cut the deficit to two, 48-46, going to the final quarter.
 
Noe contributed seven third-quarter points while Mitchell had six. Both led the team with 13 points through the third quarter. As a team, the Redhawks shot 61.5 percent in the quarter and hit three 3-pointers.
 
A 3-pointer by Murphy 1:26 into the fourth tied the game at 52. Memphis was once again able to work a seven-point lead with just over five minutes to play, 61-54. Southeast ran off seven-straight points to retie the game with 2:26 to play, 61-61. Following a pair of made jumpers for Memphis, Hackmann hit a jumper of her own with nine seconds to play, 65-63.
 
Southeast began fouling for a chance to gain possession back with just seconds left. With one second on the clock, Taylor Barnes missed both foul shots. Murphy grabbed the rebound but her last-second Hail Mary shot was off the mark, ending the game.
 
Cheyenne Creighton picked up a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers. Brea Elmore finished with 14 points and Loysha Morris had 12.
 
Southeast returns home to the Show Me Center Monday for an 11 a.m. tipoff against Alabama A&M to close non-conference play.