Southeast Missouri (12-15, 7-9OVC) vs. Tennessee State (5-23, 5-11 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Thursday, February 28,  2019
Tip-off: 5:15 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
Arena: Show Me Center
Series: SEMO leads, 23-22
Last Meeting: TSU 62, SEMO 59 (Feb. 2, 2019 | Gentry Center)
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (54-64, Fourth Season), Jessica Kern (11-44, Second Season).
 
Media Information
Video: ESPN+
Radio: KCGQ Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean & Jess Bolen)
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com
Twitter: @SEMOWBB

Tipping Off
The Southeast Missouri women's basketball team wraps up Ohio Valley Conference play with a two-game home stand beginning when Tennessee State comes to the Show Me Center Thursday. Start time is set for 5:15 p.m., CT, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. This is the final weekend series of the 2018-19 season.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to Thursday's game live on the radio at SEMO ESPN 1220 AM with Erik Sean calling the action alongside Jess Bolen. The broadcast is also streamed live at SEMOESPN.com and on the SEMOESPN app. Video is available on ESPN+. Live stats can be accessed at GoSoutheast.com. Twitter updates provided at @SEMOWBB.

2019 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
Southeast Missouri is tied for eighth with SIU Edwardsville, but owns the tiebreaker over the Cougars. The OVC Tournament takes only the top eight teams and SEMO is in the hunt for one of those spots. The Redhawks will face Tennessee State who is currently sitting two spots out of postseason play and  Belmont who has clinched the regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The 2019 OVC Tournament will be held in Evansville, Indiana and begins Mar. 6. All men's and women's games will be held at the Ford Center. 

Series History
Southeast leads the all-time series against the Tigers, 23-22. The Redhawks are 15-7 against the Tigers at the Show Me Center. Head Coach Rekha Patterson is 3-2 against TSU with a 2-0 record at home. SEMO has not dropped a game at home against the Tigers since 2014 when the Redhawks fell, 75-67, on Jan. 11. In the last contest, Carrie Shephard dropped 20 points with six 3-pointers made and Tesia Thompson recorded a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds). Southeast outscored TSU in the second and third quarters, but came up short in a 62-59 loss at the Gentry Center. 

How We Got Here
The Redhawks are currently 12-15 and 7-9 in Ohio Valley Conference play. Southeast Missouri had a three-game winning streak come to an end with a 91-57 setback at Belmont. SEMO swept SIUE with a 65-62 win in Edwardsville (Jan. 3) and 63-58 victory in Cape Girardeau (Jan. 24). It was the fifth OVC sweep under head coach Rekha Patterson and first against SIUE since 2013-14. The Redhawks forced 15-plus turnovers in 21 contests during the 2018-19 season, totaling 491 forced turnovers for the year. In OVC play, SEMO has forced 253 total turnovers as opponents are committing 15.8 per contest against the Redhawks.

Scouting the Tigers
The Tigers are 5-23 overall and 5-11 in OVC play. On the road, Tennessee State is 2-13 and recently beat Eastern Illinois, 70-66, on Feb. 23. Senior Tia Wooten averages 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds this season. Cebria Outlow led the Tigers with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the last meeting with the Redhawks. TSU held the advantage in the paint with 34 points to SEMO's 20.