EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Tesia Thompson scored 17 points to lead Southeast Missouri (13-5, 5-2) to a 66-56 win over SIU Edwardsville (3-15, 1-6) Thursday night at First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center.
SEMO picked up its fourth-straight win and handed SIUE its fifth-consecutive loss.
The Redhawks trailed, 15-5, with 5:26 remaining in the first quarter, but scored the final 12 points of the period to take a 17-15 edge. Sophie Bussard made a layup to tie the game and Carrie Shephard knocked down two free throws to put the Redhawks ahead.
After that, SEMO managed to build a 37-33 halftime advantage.
The Redhawks widened their lead to 46-37 in the third quarter when Taelour Pruitt converted a 3-point play at the 5:06 mark.
Thompson's layup opened a double-digit margin (53-43) early in the fourth quarter and the Cougars couldn't narrow the Redhawks lead to less than seven the rest of the way.
A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Thompson posted her 13th double figure scoring game of the season and eighth in a row. She also grabbed nine rebounds, dished out two assists and collected a pair of steals.
Shephard followed close behind with 16 points on 6-of-11 field goals for her team-high 16th double-digit scoring game. Jessie Harshberger added 11 points for the Redhawks.
SEMO picked up its sixth road win of the season despite missing 13 free throws and going the entire game without a 3-pointer (0-of-11).
Kaitlin Lee led SIUE with a game-high 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The Redhawks return to action at Eastern Illinois Saturday.
