No. 8 Southeast Missouri (13-16, 7-9 OVC)
vs. No. 1 Belmont (24-5, 16-0 OVC)
Game Information
Date: Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2017
Tipoff: 1 p.m.
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Arena: Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Series: SEMO trails 4-6
Head Coaches:
   Rekha Patterson (28-31, second season)
   Cameron Newbauer (76-49, fourth season)
 
2017 OVC Tournament Schedule
FIRST ROUND – Wednesday, March 1
Game 1 - #1 Belmont vs. #8 Southeast Missouri  - 1 p.m. 
Game 2 - #2 Morehead State vs. #7 Eastern Kentucky – 3 p.m. 
 
FIRST ROUND  - Thursday, March 2
Game 3 - #4 UT Martin  vs. #5 Austin Peay – 1 p.m. 
Game 4 - #3 SIUE vs. #6 Tennessee Tech – 3 p.m. 
 
SEMIFINALS – Friday, March 3
Game 5 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner – 12 p.m. 
Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner – 2 p.m. 
 
CHAMPIONSHIP  - Saturday, March 4
Game 7 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner – 2 p.m.
 
Media Information
Radio: SEMO ESPN 1220 AM | Listen Online
     Play-by-play: Erik Sean
Live Stats: OVCSports.com
Live Video: OVC Digital Network
Tournament Website: OVCSports.com
 
Follow the Redhawks on Twitter for in-game updates @SEMOwbb
 
Complete Southeast Missouri OVC Tournament Guide
 
Tipping Off
For the second-straight year under head coach Rekha Patterson, Southeast Missouri women's basketball will play for an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Southeast, the No. 8 seed in the tournament, will play top-seeded Belmont in game one Wednesday at 1 p.m. from Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Southeast finished the regular season with a 13-16 overall and a 7-9 OVC record. 
 
Follow the Redhawks
The OVC Tournament will be broadcast live on SEMO ESPN 1220 AM. 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 at the Tournament. Live stats are available online at OVCSports.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 and ESPN3.
 
OVC Tournament History
Southeast Missouri will make its 18th appearance in the OVC Tournament. The Redhawks are officially 8-15 in their all-time tournament appearances. The Redhawks have won two OVC Tournament titles (2006, 2007); however, the 2006 title was vacated due to NCAA sanctions. Southeast has made the OVC Tournament in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, and 2017.
 
As the No. 8 Seed
Southeast has been the eighth seed only once in its 17 OVC Tournament appearances. Southeast held the No. 8 seed in the 1998 tournament and played top-seeded Eastern Kentucky in the first round. SEMO fell to the Colonels 92-75. 
 
How We Got Here
Southeast Missouri will carry the No. 8 seed into the OVC Tournament. The Redhawks finished in a four-way tie for sixth with a 7-9 record. Included in the tie is Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, and Tennessee Tech. TTU earned the higher seed after going 3-1 in the combined head-to-head. Southeast took the lower seed to EKU after losing to the Colonels in the conference opener. Murray State was eliminated. 
 
The Redhawks Versus… 
Belmont will hold the No. 1 seed in the 2017 OVC Tournament. Southeast Missouri is 1-6 against the top seed in the postseason tournament. No. 2 SEMO defeated top-seeded Tennessee Tech in the championship of the 2006 tournament. The Redhawks' records against each seed are as follows:
 
            vs. No. 1 - 1-6
            vs. No. 2 - 1-3
            vs. No. 3 - 2-2
            vs. No. 4 - 1-3
            vs. No. 5 - 2-1
            vs. No. 6 - 1-1
            vs. No. 7 - 3-0
            vs. No. 8 - 2-0
 
Against the Field
Southeast Missouri is 2-8 against the seven other teams in the OVC Tournament this season. The Redhawks have wins over UT Martin and SIUE. In those 10 games, Southeast was outscored by an average of 6.7 points a game. Bri Mitchell averaged 16.1 points per game against the field. 
 
Against Belmont in the Postseason
The Redhawks and Bruins have never met in the OVC Tournament. Belmont joined the OVC in 2011-12. In its six years in the OVC, Belmont has made the OVC Tournament each of the last four seasons, including winning the title in 2016. 
 
Redhawks Taking Nashville
The 2017 OVC Tournament will be the first in 10 years that Southeast Missouri State is sending both the men's and women's teams to Nashville for the postseason. The last was 2007. 
 
Last Time in the Tournament
The Redhawks made the OVC Tournament last season for the first time since 2009. The six-seeded Redhawks took on No. 3 SIUE in the first round. Southeast took the Cougars to overtime but ultimately fell, 80-76. Adrianna Murphy recorded 13 points and eight assists in 42 minutes on the floor. Deja Jones also topped double-figure points with 11 while grabbing nine rebounds. Southeast outshot the Cougars 40-36 percent. 
 
Series History
Wednesday's game will be the 11th all-time meeting between Southeast Missouri and Belmont. In 10 games, SEMO trails the all-time series 4-6. Since Belmont joined the OVC in 2012, the Redhawks are 1-4 against the Bruins. The lone victory (81-74) came a season ago at the Show Me Center to open OVC play. SEMO has defeated Belmont once on the road: Dec. 9, 2000, 81-72. In total, Southeast is 1-4 in Nashville against the Bruins. 
 
Scouting the Bruins
Belmont finished the regular season with an overall 24-5 record and a perfect 16-0 conference record. The Bruins will carry an 18-game winning streak into this week's tournament. It marks the seventh time in OVC history a team has gone undefeated in league action and first since UT Martin in 2014-15. Belmont has gone 32-1 in its last 33 games versus OVC opponents. They clinched the OVC title and the top seed on Feb. 11 with the win over Tennessee Tech. All five of Belmont's starters average double-digit points in conference play this season, led by Kylee Smith's 16 points per game. Darby Maggard's 14.9 PPG ranks second on the team, she has drained 58 3-pointers in OVC play, and is shooting 53 percent from the floor. Sally McCabe is averaging 13.1 points per game and pulls in eight rebounds a game. As a team, Belmont is shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and is putting up 14.5 more points per game that its opponents. Rebounding-wise, Belmont is recording 11.5 more than its opponents this season. Its rebounding margin ranks third in the country while its 1,240 total rebounds ranks 11th. Maggard leads the nation with 100 made 3-pointers this season while her 49.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc ranks second. 
 
In the last Meeting
Southeast Missouri fought valiantly in a game that featured 10 ties and five lead changes but ultimately succumbed to Belmont Saturday, Jan. 7, 89-77. Southeast was led by Olivia Hackmann's fourth 20-point game of the season. She picked up 25 total points on 11 field goals. In all, SEMO had three players perform in double-figure scoring. Hannah Noe knocked down 15 points while also grabbing four rebounds. Bri Mitchell was the other Redhawk with double-digit points, finishing with 14 points. The Redhawks nearly accomplished something only two teams had done: outrebound Belmont. Southeast fell short in the category, 43-41. Deja Jones led the Redhawks with five. As a team, SEMO shot nearly 40 percent from the floor (39.7%) while the Bruins shot 44 percent. Both teams were 30 percent from 3-point range with Belmont knocking down seven and SEMO with six. The biggest differences in the game came at the free-throw line. Southeast sent Belmont to the line a season-high 35 times. The Bruins hit 26 of their foul shots. On the other end, the Redhawks had 23 free-throw opportunities and made 17 (73.9%).  
 
A New 3-Point Record Holder
Junior Hannah Noe set a new single-season record with 69 made 3-pointers in 2016-17. The old record of 68 was held by Natalie Purcell (2005-06) and Julie Meier, (1993-94). Her 118 career 3-pointers ranks fifth all-time at SEMO. The record, held by Julie Meier (1991-95) is 174. Noe tied a school record with nine made threes at Eastern Illinois on Feb. 11. Noe's 119 career made 3-pointers ranks her fifth on the all-time top 10 list. 
 
Assists Superstar
Sophomore point guard Adrianna Murphy is 19th in the nation with 172 assists this season. Her 5.9 assists per game ranks 23rd. Murphy has had four double-digit assist performances this season including a career-high 14. For the second year in a row, Murphy has cracked the single-season top 10 with 172; topping her rookie season total of 144. She has also worked her way on to the career assists list with 316, a figure that ranks eighth behind teammate Bri Mitchell (338).  
 
Logging Miles, and Wins
With Wednesday's road victory over Murray State, the Redhawks recorded their fifth conference road win of the season. SEMO's five road victories is the most since Southeast went 10-0 on the road in 2006-07. The Redhawks finished the regular season 5-3 on the road in the league play. 
 
Leaving Their Legacy
Southeast's two seniors, Olivia Hackmann and Bri Mitchell, are the newest inductees to the Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball 1,000-Point Club. Hackmann scored her 1,000th point on Dec. 31 while Mitchell was inducted on Jan. 21. They are the 17th and 18th all-time members to the club, eighth and ninth of SEMO's Division I era. Sonya Daugherty and Tarina Nixon (2005-09) were the last inducted into the club, also doing it in the same season. Mitchell's 1,170 career points tied her with Daugherty for 10th all-time while Hackmann's 1,060 ranks 15th. 
 
Daugherty Named OVC Legend
SEMO women's basketball alumna Sonya Daugherty was one of six women's basketball players named an OVC Legend for 2017. Daugherty was named MVP of the 2007 OVC Tournament after leading Southeast Missouri to a victory over Murray State in the title game. She averaged 19.8 points/game during the team's run and would go on to score 25 points and grab 10 rebounds in a first round NCAA Tournament game against Oklahoma. She finished her career ranked 10th in SEMO history in scoring (1,170 points) and also ranks among all-time Redhawk leaders in 3-pointers made and steals. 
 
Assisting Milestone
Bri Mitchell dished out her 300th career assist at Jacksonville State on Feb. 1. Her 338 assists ranks tied for fifth all-time at Southeast. Only seven other Southeast Missouri players have recorded 300 assists in their career, now including teammate Adrianna Murphy. Mitchell recorded her first double-digit assist game against Alabama A&M with 12.