NASHVILLE – In her final game in a Redhawk uniform, senior guard Bri Mitchell recorded a career-best 32 points against top-seeded Belmont; however, the Redhawks fell in game one of the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, 74-59.
 
Southeast Missouri finishes the season with a 13-17 record.
 
Mitchell's 32 points is the first 30-point game recorded by a Southeast Missouri player since Sonya Daugherty put up 31 against Murray State on Feb. 19, 2009. Mitchell played 36 total minutes and made 12 total field goals, also a new career high. She finished the game with eight rebounds, one short of tying a career best. The Germantown, Tennessee native finishes her career with 1,202 points, 10^th all-time at Southeast Missouri.
 
Fellow senior Olivia Hackmann played her first game since Jan. 14 following a foot injury. Hackmann played 19 minutes, recorded five points, and grabbed four rebounds. Her 1,065 points finishes 15^th all-time in scoring at Southeast Missouri.
 
The Redhawks finished the game being outshot from the floor, 41.0-32.4 percent. Belmont also grabbed 14 more rebounds than Southeast including 18 offensive boards resulting in 18 second-chance points.
 
Southeast forced Belmont into 16 turnovers and scored 23 points off the Bruin mistakes.
 
Southeast Missouri came out ready to play in the first quarter, quickly going up on the Bruins 7-2. With SEMO on top by one with 5:27 to play, Belmont held the Redhawks scoreless for over three minutes while rattling off eight-straight points to take a seven-point lead, 15-8. Iyanna McCurdy put up the Redhawks' last scoring of the quarter but Southeast trailed 21-12 after the opening stanza.
 
Mitchell hit back-to-back 3-point shots to open the second quarter, cutting the Belmont lead to three, 21-18. Belmont responded with an 8-2 run to reopen a nine-point lead that they continued to build on to go up 12 with 3:32 to play in the first half. Two good jumpers by Mitchell brought the Redhawks within single-digits but Belmont ended the quarter outscoring SEMO 9-4 to lead 43-30 going into halftime.
 
Mitchell put up a game-high 17 points in the opening half while grabbing a team-best four rebounds.
 
The Redhawks were being outscored on second-chance points 11-2 after allowing eight offensive rebounds to Belmont. On the boards in general, Southeast was outrebounded 21-14.
 
Southeast was outscored 19-15 in the third quarter and trailed 62-45 going to the fourth quarter. Mitchell was responsible for 11 of Southeast's 15 points in the third. Her last-second layup to finish the quarter recorded a new career high for the senior with 28 points.
 
The fourth quarter was the only in which Southeast outscored Belmont, 14-12. Two good jumpers by Hackmann and one from Ashton Luttrull opened the frame to make it an 11-point game. That would be the closest the Redhawks would get however. A jumper with 2:21 to play followed by a pair of free-throws by Mitchell tipped the 30-point mark.
 
Belmont eliminated Southeast Missouri from the tournament and advances in its hopes to repeat as tournament champions.
 
The Bruins posted five players in double-digit scoring Wednesday led by 16 points from Lauren Thompson.