OVC #11
Southeast Missouri (9-6, 7-3 OVC) at UT Martin (10-3, 9-1 OVC)
 
Game Information
Date: Monday, Feb. 1, 2021
Tip-off: 4 p.m., CT
Location: Martin, Tenn.  
Arena: Kathleen and Tom Elam Center
Series: UTM leads the series, 40-30 and 1-0 in 2020-21
Last Meeting: 61-58 UT Martin Win | Dec. 18, 2020 | Cape Girardeau, Mo. | Show Me Center
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (89-79, Sixth Season); Kevin McMillan (228-139, 12th season)
 
Follow the Redhawks
Video: ESPNU (Richard Cross & Sophie Cunningham)
Radio: ESPN 93.5 FM & 1220 AM (Rusty Hendricks)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @OfficialSEMOWBB
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
UT Martin (PDF)
 
Redhawks Face OVC Leader UT Martin Monday on ESPNU
Southeast Missouri women's basketball (9-6, 7-3 OVC) heads to Martin, Tennessee, Monday for a national showdown with Ohio Valley Conference leader UT Martin on ESPNU. Tip is set for 4 p.m., CT at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
 
Follow the Redhawks 
Fans can listen to Monday's game live on the radio at ESPN 93.5 FM & 1220 AM with Rusty Hendricks calling the action. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. Follow the game on Twitter @OfficialSEMOWBB.
 
Series History 
UT Martin leads the all-time series against SEMO, 40-30, and won the initial 2020-21 meeting and OVC opener between the two schools on Dec. 18, 2020, 61-58, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. 
 
Tesia Thompson (18), Taelour Pruitt (13) and LaTrese Saine (10) combined to score 41 points in the first meeting of the season with UTM.
 
The two teams clashed three times during the 2019-20 season with each squad winning at their home arena during the regular season. In the third and final matchup for the OVC Tournament Championship on March 20, 2020, the Redhawks bested the Skyhawks, 67-47.
 
Scouting the Skyhawks
The Skyhawks (10-3, 9-1 OVC) enter the contest riding a season-long eight game winning streak which ranks tied for the fifth longest winning streak during the Kevin McMillan Era – joining the 2013-13 and 2017-18 squads. In addition to the team's overall winning streak, the Skyhawks have won 17 straight games over OVC foes in the Elam Center dating back to the 2018-19 season.
 
UT Martin currently holds a lead in the OVC standings with a 9-1 record. The Skyhawks rank first in the league in numerous statistical categories including scoring offense (71.5 ppg), scoring defense (55.3 ppg), scoring margin (+16.2 ppg), field goal percentage (46.3), field goal percentage defense (34.4), three-point field goal percentage (36.9), assists (18.1) and assist/ turnover ratio (1.4).
 
About Last Week
SEMO split its pair of home OVC games with SIUE and Eastern Illinois. The Redhawks defeated SIUE, 77-62, on Jan. 28 at the Show Me Center before dropping a tight contest to EIU, 51-49, on Jan. 30. 
 
Starting January 2021 on a High Note
SEMO registered a 6-2 mark in the first month of 2021. The Redhawks rang in the New Year with an 84-50 win over Tennessee State on Jan. 2 which started a four-game win streak in January and bridged a five-game win streak from Dec. 30, 2020 through Jan. 16, 2021.  SEMO also picked up wins on (at) TSU (1/9), Murray State (1/14), Austin Peay (1/16), Eastern Kentucky (1/23) and SIUE (1/28).
 
Double-Doubles for Saine
LaTrese Saine has registered a double-double in three of the last four games. Saine notched her third straight with a career-best 27 points coupled with 15 rebounds and seven blocks against SIUE on Jan. 28.
 
Saine was 12-for-16 from the field and went to the break with 14 points after an 8-point opening quarter. 
 
This past Saturday (Jan. 30), Saine was three points away from a double-double, finishing with her fourth straight double-figures rebounding performance with 10. In the past four games, she has registered 14 (at Morehead State, 1/21), 11 (at EKU, 1/23), 15 (vs. SIUE, 1/28) and 10 boards (vs. EIU, 1/30).
 
She has accumulated six this season, which leads the OVC. Saine is also second in the conference with 137 rebounds, averaging 9.1 per game. 
 
Blocks Queen Leads the OVC
LaTrese Saine leads the conference with 4.13 blocks per game and 62 blocks. Nationally, she ranks third and second for those statistics.
 
Saine registered a pair of blocks at Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 23) to surpass Chandra Brown (2004-05, 49) for first overall in Redhawks history in a single season. In the SEMO record books, Saine also ranks first for career blocks (171) and single-game blocks (10 vs. Murray State 1/14/21) along with single-season blocks (62).
 
In the past four games, Saine has tallied four or more blocks including seven against SIUE (1/28) and nine at Morehead State (1/21).
 
Thompson in Double-Figures
Tesia Thompson has finished in double-digits scoring in each of the past seven games and posted double-figures for boards four times this season. She now has 90 double-figure point games in her career as a Redhawk. She registered her first double-double since Jan. 9, 2021 at Tennessee State this past Saturday (1/30) against Eastern Illinois, finishing with a team-high 17 points and 12 rebounds.
 
In the OVC this season, Thompson leads the conference in field goal attempts (240), free throw makes and attempts (79-for-102). She also is second in the league with 18.9 points per game and 283 points. She is third in the OVC with 97 field goals made this season. Rebounding, Thompson is fourth in the league overall with 8.2 boards per game (123, fifth).
 
Smith in the Starting 5
Terri Smith has appeared in the Redhawks starting lineup each of the past six games with the absence of Taelour Pruitt due to injury. She has finished in double figures three times in that span including most recently 12 against SIUE on Jan. 28.
 
Smith finished 4-for-6 behind the arc against SIUE on Thursday and hit all three of her attempts in the third quarter.
 
Smith, a Western Kentucky transfer, chipped in a career-best 14 points in 39 minutes of action against Austin Peay on Jan. 16. Smith was 5-for-10 from the field and knocked down 50 percent from three (4-8) and tallied five boards. She made her first career SEMO start against Murray State on Jan. 14, finishing with six points in 36 minutes of play.
 
Minutes Leader
Sophie Bussard leads the Redhawks and is first in the OVC with 34:60 minutes per game (519:01 minutes played, fourth).
 
Bussard competed in all 40 minutes against Eastern Illinois on Jan. 30. In the past three games, Bussard has posted 38 or more minutes of court time. 
 
She finished against SIUE on Jan. 28 with 13 points, her first double-digit scoring night since Jan. 2 against Tennessee State.
 
Bussard followed up that outing with 14 against Eastern Illinois on Jan. 30. She registered 12 of her 14 points in the third quarter and concluded the game 5-for-9 from the field.
 
Bussard has also been a factor on the boards, pulling down five in three straight games against Murray State (1/14), Austin Peay (1/16) and at Morehead State (1/21). She notched a career-best tying nine against EIU (1/30) after compiling eight against SIUE (1/28). 
 
Scott the Facilitator
Roshala Scott is third in the OVC for assists with 52 (3.5 assists/game, fifth). 
 
She tallied a career-best six at Eastern Kentucky (1/23) and against SIUE (1/28). 
 
Offensively, Scott is averaging 8.1 points per game and compiled a career-best 15 at EKU on Jan. 23
 
Bussard at the Charity Stripe
Sophie Bussard has been exceptional this season, when she makes the trip to the charity stripe. Bussard has missed just two in 2020-21 (20-for-22) and sunk 14 straight free throws dating back to the Tennessee State game on Jan. 2. This past week, she was 4-for-4 at the charity stripe against EIU on Jan. 30 and 3-for-3 against SIUE on Jan. 28. In the past four games, Bussard is 10-for 10 on free throws. 
 
Board Woman Gets Paid
The Redhawks lead the league with 42.07 rebounds per game and have totaled 631 this season (third in the OVC). SEMO is outrebounding their opponents by an OVC-best margin of 5.5.
 
SEMO has won the rebound battle in each of the last five games. In that span, the Redhawks have finished with a positive double-digit margin over their opponents twice, at Morehead State (50-38) on Jan. 21 and against Eastern Illinois on Jan. 30 (46-32). 
 
Four Redhawks in Double-Figures
Four Redhawks finished in double-figures as SEMO defeated SIUE, 77-62, on Jan. 28. LaTrese Saine notched a career-best 27 points. Tesia Thompson chipped in 16 for second on the team behind Saine. Sophie Bussard added 13 points and Terri Smith finished with 12 in the win.
 
When SEMO finishes with at least four double-digit scorers, the Redhawks are 7-0 including 5-0 in the OVC (TTU, TSU (2), EKU, SIUE). SEMO also had four double-digit scorers in its wins over Western Illinois on Dec. 11 (67-57) and University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy on Dec. 1 (75-44).
 
SEMO vs. Morehead State Game Rescheduled
SEMO's game against Morehead State on Friday, Feb. 19 has been rescheduled to Saturday, Feb. 20. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m., CT at the Show Me Center.
 
Season-High For Tesia
Tesia Thompson led all scorers against Austin Peay on Jan. 16 with a season-high 33 points in her 100th career game in a Redhawks uniform. Thompson finished 12-for-21 from the field and was perfect at the charity stripe for the second-straight game (9-9, 17-17 vs. Murray State and Austin Peay). She also had seven rebounds.
  
Phi-Fi-Fo-Fum
Sophia Hancock, a former walk-on, was surprised with a scholarship during the team's morning film session on Jan. 20. Hancock has come off the bench for SEMO in the past five contests.
 
Hancock registered a career outing against Austin Peay on Jan. 16. The Puxico, Missouri native, played in 16 minutes of action and tallied four points with three rebounds. She shot 2-for-3 from the field.
 
Block Party!!
The Redhawks notched single-game records for blocks in SEMO's victory over Murray State on Jan. 14. LaTrese Saine swatted away a career-best 10 to improve upon her previous Redhawk single-game blocks record (6 at Morehead State, 2/8/18). As a team the Redhawks finished with 13, which surpassed the previous mark of 10 set on Feb. 14, 2007 at EIU.
 
SEMO is second in the OVC with 101 blocked shots and 6.7 blocks per game. The Redhawks also lead the conference in field-goal percentage defense (34.8) and scoring defense (58.1).
 
Non-Conference Slate
SEMO posted a 2-3 mark during the non-conference portion of it 2020-21 schedule. The Redhawks opened the season with a 74-53 loss to #5 Louisville on Nov. 25 before earning their first victory of the campaign over the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (75-44) on Dec. 1. SEMO dropped a 63-49 decision to Eastern Michigan on Dec. 6. The Redhawks notched their second win of the season over Western Illinois, 67-57. SEMO then fell to regional rival, Southern Illinois, 67-51, in Carbondale, Illinois, on Dec. 18.
 
In five non-conference games, Tesia Thompson paced the team with 93 points (18.6 ppg) and 29 rebounds (5.8 per game). Taelour Pruitt (48 points) and LaTrese Saine (47 points) averaged just under 10 points per game during the non-conference slate. Saine also posted 33 boards (6.6 per game) with 14 blocks (2.8 per game).
 
OVC Preseason Poll
SEMO was picked third in the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. Tesia Thompson was named to the Preseason All-OVC Team for the third-straight year. SEMO tallied 206 points in the overall voting by the OVC Head Coaches and Communications Directors. The Redhawks also collected two first-place votes.
 
1,000 Point Club
Tesia Thompson became just the 10th Redhawk in the Division I era to surpass 1,000 career points. She reached this milestone last season at Ole Miss (Dec. 14, 2019) in the first quarter. She currently has 1,780 career points, putting her second all-time on the school's career scoring list in the Division I era.
 
OVC Tournament Champions
SEMO won its second OVC Tournament Championship in program history and first since 2006-07 this last season. The Redhawks went undefeated at 3-0 in this year's conference tournament winning each of their final two games by double figures against the tourney's top-two seeds. A day after a staggering offensive showcase, #3 Southeast Missouri used a remarkable defensive effort to stomp UT Martin and win the 2020 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title with a 67-47 victory on Mar. 7, 2020. The Redhawks, who claimed the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, were unable to play further into the postseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Ring Ceremony and Banner Reveal
The Redhawks brought back the members of their historic 2019-20 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship team for a ring ceremony and banner reveal prior to their game against University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (Dec. 1). SEMO capped the 2019-20 season with an overall record of 25-7 and 14-4 mark in OVC play. The Redhawks put together three record-breaking performances at the OVC Tournament to capture the crown and secure the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.