CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Southeast Missouri women's basketball team (8-12, 2-5) dropped a 71-62 decision to Eastern Illinois (7-13, 3-5) Saturday at the Show Me Center.
 
Senior Bri Mitchell became the second player this season, 18^th all-time, to join Southeast's 1,000-Point Club. Mitchell led the Redhawks in scoring with a game-high 20 points. It was her fourth 20-point game of the season and 11^th of her career. The Germantown, Tennessee native also finished with five rebounds and three assists.
 
After earning a season-high 15 points on Wednesday at SIUE, Lakyn Gulley followed up that performance with 16 points against Eastern Illinois. Gulley drained four 3-pointers and grabbed four rebounds in the contest.
 
On the boards, Southeast was led by a career-best seven-rebound performance from sophomore Dolapo Balogun. She finished the contest with six points.
 
Southeast scored 36 total points in the paint Saturday, the most by the team in conference play this season.
 
The Redhawks and Panthers played neck-and-neck in the opening stanza. With Southeast up by a couple with 4:18 to play, The Panthers rattled off five-straight points to go up by three, 11-8. Gulley retied the game with a 3-pointer but EIU followed with four points. Southeast matched the Panthers' in the final minute of the quarter to tie the game at 15 all after the first 10 minutes.
 
Eastern doubled the Redhawks up on the boards in the first quarter, 18-9, grabbing eight offensive rebounds.
 
Southeast was narrowly outscored in the second quarter, 15-12. Eastern Illinois controlled the scoring much of the frame. The Redhawks went up by three to begin the quarter but the Panthers responded by outscoring SEMO 15-4 over the course of almost five minutes, leading 30-22. The Redhawks held EIU scoreless the final three minutes while Mitchell and Gulley combined for five points, narrowing the lead to three going into halftime, 30-27.
 
Mitchell led the team with seven first-half points while Mandy Madden and Balogun pulled in four rebounds each.
 
The Redhawks' 11 second-quarter rebounds erased the rebounding deficit at halftime with each team grabbing 22.
 
The Panthers tightened their grip on the Redhawks in the third quarter, coming out on top in the frame, 18-14. The teams nearly went bucket-for-bucket in the third but an early start for EIU propelled the Panthers out in front by eight points, 39-31. EIU held its lead the remainder of the third and led 48-41 going into the fourth quarter.
 
Mitchell tipped the double-digit point mark and had 11 through the third. Balogun moved into the rebounding lead with six.
 
It was a slow start to the fourth quarter but EIU outscored Southeast 13-5 to find its largest lead of the game at 15 with 4:17 to play. The Redhawks quickly responded with a 14-3 run of their own to slice the lead to four, 64-60. Mitchell's 1,000^th point came on a layup with 42 seconds to play. She was fouled on the play and made the free-throw. Southeast began fouling but couldn't catch the Panthers in the end, falling 71-62.
 
Grace Lennox had 18 points for EIU while Carmen Tellez finished with 17. Erica Brown recorded a double-double with 13 points and rebounds apiece.
 
The Redhawks will return to action at the Show Me Center on Wednesday, Jan. 25 when they host Murray State at 6:30 p.m.