Game #7
Southern Illinois (0-2)
vs. Southeast Missouri (2-4)
Game Information
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m., CT 
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Arena: Show Me Center
Series: SIU leads SEMO, 31-7
Last Meeting: Dec. 13, 2020 | 67-51 SIU Win | Carbondale, Illinois
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (97-88, Seventh Season); Cindy Stein (115-126, Ninth Season at SIU)
Video: ESPN+
Radio: SEMOESPN 
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets
 
Follow the Redhawks
Twitter: @OfficialSEMOWBB
Media Guide: Southeast Missouri
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri 

Redhawks Host Regional-Rival Southern Illinois Tuesday to Open Four-Game Homestand
Southeast Missouri women's basketball (2-4) returns home to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, after its Thanksgiving trip to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to host regional-rival Southern Illinois (0-2) Tuesday night at the Show Me Center. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m., CT. SEMO opens a four-game homestand and three-game week Tuesday.
 
Follow the Redhawks 
Fans can listen to Tuesday's games live on the radio at SEMOESPN. The game will also be televised live on ESPN+. Follow the games on Twitter @OfficialSEMOWBB.
 
Series History 
Southern Illinois leads the all-time series with SEMO, 31-7.
 
The Salukis won the 2020-21 meeting in Carbondale, Illinois, 67-51, on Dec. 13, 2020. Southern Illinois used a 20-point fourth quarter to get by SEMO at the Banterra Center. Taelour Pruitt led SEMO with a game-high 19 points, her second-straight game scoring in double figures. She shot 7-of-15 from the field and did not miss a free throw (4-of-4). Tesia Thompson followed with 13 points on just 4-of-20 from the field. She also made five free throws. LaTrese Saine chipped in seven points, six rebounds and three blocks.
 
SEMO last beat SIU on Dec. 7, 2019, 79-65, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, at the Show Me Center. Tesia Thompson paced SEMO with 16 points and nine rebounds. Thompson shot 4-of-9 from the field and 8-of-11 at the free throw line to lead the Redhawks. Taelour Pruitt followed with 15 points and a career-high 8-of-8 free throws. Jocelyn Taylor and LaTrese Saine added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
 
Scouting the Salukis
Southern Illinois is winless (0-2) in the early 2021-22 season with losses at #15 Tennessee (59-49, Nov. 10) and at Kansas City (67-46, Nov. 14). The Salukis contest against IUPUI scheduled on Nov. 24 was postponed due to COVID-19-related concerns within the Jaguars program.
 
SIU took an early lead and never looked back, cruising to an 85-37 victory in exhibition action against Millikin University on Oct. 30.
 
Head coach Cindy Stein announced in July that she will retire at the end of the 2021-22 season. She will be inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame on March 4 during the MVC Men's Basketball Championship
 
Scott Makes First Two Starts in 2021-22
Roshala Scott led the Redhawks offensively this past week with 41 points (13.7 ppg), 14 assists (4.6 apg) and 12 boards (4.0 rpg) as SEMO went 1-2 overall and 1-1 at Southern Mississippi's Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic. Scott made her first two starts of the 2021-22 season at the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 26-27) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
 
Scott paced SEMO against Arkansas State with 14 points, shooting 5-for-12 and 2-for-6 from three-point range to open the week.
 
She then added 14 points in SEMO's win over Mississippi Valley State, going 3-for-10 on field goals and 7-for-9 at the charity stripe with a season-high eight assists. Scott closed out the week and the tournament with 13 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic Champions, shooting 46 percent and 3-for-5 from distance.
 
Scott has finished in double-digits scoring in each of the last three games for SEMO.
 
Scott leads SEMO this season with 12.2 points/game (73 points) in just over 23 minutes. She is shooting 41 percent from the field with 3.8 rebounds per game. She ranks seventh in the OVC with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.46.
 
Back-to-Back 10 Point Games for Smith
Halle Smith registered consecutive career high 10-point games against Arkansas State (Nov. 22) and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26) this past week.
 
Smith, a freshman forward from Belle, Missouri, shot 3-for-6 from the field and was perfect on triples (1-for-1) and 3-for-3 at the charity stripe with four rebounds against Arkansas State. She then shot a career best 67 percent (4-for-6) with a triple (1-for-1) versus MVSU.
 
Smith, who celebrated her 19th Birthday on Thanksgiving (Nov. 25), closed the Southern Mississippi's Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic with a career-high seven rebounds and six points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27).
 
Smith is 3-for-3 on 3-ptrs in the past three games going a perfect 1-for-1 against Arkansas State, Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
 
Season-High for Pruitt
Taelour Pruitt led the Redhawks offensively with 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals in 37 minutes in SEMO's 82-76 victory over Mississippi Valley State to open Southern Mississippi's Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 26. Pruitt was 7-for-12 shooting from the field in the initial 20 minutes. She had 19 points at the break and surpassed 10 (11) after one quarter of action.
 
Pruitt finished the game 8-for-18 from the field including 3-for-9 from distance and 2-for-2 on free throws.
 
Pruitt has started in all six games for SEMO in 2021-22, averaging 9.7 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 25.8 minutes. She is shooting .280 from the field. Pruitt ranks first in the OVC with 44 treys attempted and is fourth in the league with 3.8 assists per game.
 
Watkins Notches a Career-Best
Kennedi Watkins registered a career-high 14 points and eight rebounds in SEMO's 82-76 victory over Mississippi Valley State to open Southern Mississippi's Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 26. Watkins also had two steals, two assists, and a block. The freshman forward from Ballwin, Missouri, shot 6-for-9 from the field.
 
She closed the tournament with eight points and six rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27). Watkins shot 3-for-8 and had a steal.
 
Watkins has started in all six games for SEMO in 2021-22, averaging 7.7 points, 6.2 boards in 22 minutes. She is shooting 42 percent from the field.
 
Nothing Shy about Christopher
Redshirt-freshman Shymaryia Christopher notched 29 points (9.7ppg) with eight boards (2.7rpg) and three assists (3.0apg) this past week as SEMO went 1-2 overall and 1-1 at Southern Mississippi's Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic.
 
Christopher led SEMO offensively with a career best 15 points with four rebounds in 24 minutes of action against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27). The Magnolia, Arkansas, guard, shot 4-for-8 from the field and was 7-of-10 at the free throw line.
 
Christopher opened the week with seven points and two rebounds against both Arkansas State (Nov. 22) and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26). She shot 43 percent against Arkansas State.
 
Christopher started in the first four games for SEMO and has played in all six in 2021-22. She is averaging 8 points and 3 rebounds in 18 minutes. Christopher is shooting 44 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range.
 
Career-High for Watson
Deanay Watson notched a career-best 14 points at Stephen F. Austin Nov. 15 at the William R. Johnson Coliseum in Nacogdoches, Texas. Watson, a senior from Bradenton, Florida, was a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 at the charity stripe. She also added four rebounds in a team-high 25 minutes.
 
Watson most recently tallied 10 points and seven rebounds against Arkansas State (Nov. 22). She also had 13 points and seven rebounds versus Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26) and seven points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27). Watson shot 6-for-9 against MVSU and was perfect 3-for-3 from the field versus UAPB.
 
Watson has started in all six games for the Redhawks and opened the season with double-figures points against UHSP (Nov. 9) and at SFA. She is averaging 9.7 points per game with 4.0 boards in 25.5 minutes.

Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic Recap
SEMO split its pair of Southern Mississippi's Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic games Nov. 26-27 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
 
Five Redhawks finished in double-figures scoring as SEMO held off Mississippi Valley State's late rally, 82-76, Nov. 26 to open the Classic at the Reed Green Coliseum.
 
Taelour Pruitt led the Redhawks offensively with 21 points and six assists in 37 minutes. Roshala Scott and Kennedi Watkins (personal best) each added 14. Deanay Watson chipped in 13 points and Halle Smith matched a personal-high 10 points for the second-straight game.
 
SEMO then fell to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the 2021 Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic Champions, 81-63, Nov. 27. Shymaryia Christopher led SEMO offensively with a career best 15 points with four rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Roshala Scott added 13 points with two steals for her third-straight double-digit point game in 2021-22 after posting 14 against both Arkansas State (Nov. 22) and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26).
 
Redhawks Debuts
Diona Reed and Chandler Davis both made their SEMO debuts this past weekend at Southern Mississippi's Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic games Nov. 26-27 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
 
Reed, a 6-5 freshman center from Millington, Tennessee, finished with a point in three minutes against Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26). She then added two points (2-for-2 on free throws) with two blocks and two rebounds in 10 minutes against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27).
 
Davis, a guard from Alpharetta, Georgia, played in four total minutes over the two games against Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26, three minutes) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27, one minute).
 
Arkansas State Recap
Three Redhawks finished in double-digits scoring as SEMO fell to Arkansas State of the Sun Belt, 73-65, Monday evening at the Show Me Center.
 
Roshala Scott paced SEMO with 14 points, shooting 5-for-12 from the field with three boards. Deanay Watson and Halle Smith each added 10 points.
 
For Smith, a freshman forward from Belle, Missouri, it was a career-best outing. She shot 3-for-6 from the field and was perfect on triples (1-for-1) and 3-for-3 at the charity stripe with four rebounds.
 
Watson and Kennedi Watkins each had a team best seven boards. Watkins matched her personal-best that she set in the regular-season opener against UHSP (Nov. 9).
 
Johné Stewart added a personal best four points with four rebounds. The Jacksonville transfer from Memphis, Tennessee, was 50 percent shooting, adding three assists, two steals and a block.
 
Kori Tomlin also chipped in a career best six points, three assists and a steal in 25 minutes on the court. Tomlin was 2-for-2 from the field, hitting both of her treys.
 
Redhawks Ink Alecia Doyle for 2022-23 Season
SEMO announced the signing of Alecia Doyle for the 2022-23 season Nov. 11. Doyle, a 5-8 guard from Herrin, Illinois, is a four-year starter and letter-winner and will graduate from Carterville High School in May 2022.
 
As a junior, she was named Southern Illinoisan Player of the Year, AP First Team All-State, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State, Mississippi First Team All-Conference and SICA All-South Team.  She averaged 20.1points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals per game.
 
First Win in 2021-22
SEMO captured its first victory of the 2021-22 campaign, 68-45, over the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (UHSP in St. Louis) (1-3) Nov. 9 at the Show Me Center.
 
Three Redhawks finished in double-figures including a team-high 14 points and four rebounds from Roshala Scott. Freshman Kennedi Watkins chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds in her first career start. Deanay Watson also finished with a career-best tying 12 points and five boards.
 
Shymaryia Christopher and Jaliyah Green also both made their first career collegiate starts in the victory. Christopher finished with eight points while Green had five. Halle Smith, Johné Stewart and Kori Tomlin also made their Redhawk debuts. Tomlin led all SEMO players with 25 minutes. Taelour Pruitt dished out a career-best matching seven assists to accompany eight points.
 
Exhibition Recap
SEMO defeated William Woods, 66-49, in exhibition play Nov. 1 at the Show Me Center.
 
Freshman Jaliyah Green led the Redhawks with 16 points to go with five rebounds and Deanay Watson chipped in 13 points hauling down eight rebounds. Roshala Scott added nine points and Shymaryia Christopher finished with seven.
  
OVC Preseason Poll
Southeast Missouri was selected to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2021-22. The Redhawks received 91 points in the projected order of finish.
 
Belmont, the 2020-21 OVC Tournament Champions, was selected to finish first with 15 first place votes and 159 total points in the preseason poll. Destinee Wells, the 2020-21 OVC Tournament MVP and Freshman of the Year from Belmont, was tabbed the 2021-22 OVC Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Team Makeup
The Redhawks return four starters from its 2020-21 team in seniors Taelour Pruitt and Deanay Watson along with juniors Roshala Scott and Sophie Bussard.
 
Scott was third on SEMO this past season with 10.2 points per game (265 points) and ranked fifth in the OVC in 2020-21 with 3.4 assists per game. Pruitt averaged just under 10 points (9.9, 159 points) per game in 2020-21. Bussard netted 8.8 points per contest (230 points) and paced the OVC with 931:15 minutes of court time, averaging 35.82 minutes per game.
 
Sophomores Michaela Mayfield, Chandler Davis and Shymaryia Christopher round out the returnees this season. Mayfield was the lone freshman from that group to play this previous year and saw time at forward.

The Redhawks also added eight newcomers in three transfers, four freshmen and a sophomore.
 
Johné Stewart and Pearl Dean bring NCAA Division I experience to the team while Kori Tomlin transferred in from Moberly Area Community College.
 
Freshmen Kennedi Watkins, Halle Smith, Jaliyah Green and Diona Reed along with sophomore Joi Ward complete the 2021-22 squad.
 
2021-22 Schedule
The Redhawks will play a 30-game schedule with 16 matchups at the Show Me Center during the 2021-22 season.
 
Southeast Missouri will play 11 non-conference games to commence the season with home meetings against UHSP (Nov. 9), Arkansas State (Nov. 22), Southern Illinois (Nov. 30), Saint Louis (Dec. 3), Harris-Stowe (Dec. 5) and Purdue Fort Wayne (Dec. 9). SEMO will take a mid-November trip to the "Lone Star State" to face Stephen F. Austin (Nov. 15) and Texas of the Big 12 (Nov. 17). The Redhawks will trek to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to play Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27) at Southern Mississippi's Thanksgiving Tournament. SEMO concludes non-conference play with a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, to take on Xavier Dec. 19.
 
The Redhawks 2021-22 schedule also includes 18 Ohio Valley Conference matchups, playing each conference institution twice. SEMO will open league play at Murray State after Christmas break on Dec. 30. The Redhawks then host Austin Peay on Jan. 1 to ring in 2022.
 
2020-21 Season Recap
SEMO finished with an overall record of 15-11 and posted a 13-7 conference mark in 2020-21. The Redhawks qualified for their sixth-straight OVC Tournament as the #3 seed this past season.
 
2020-21 All-OVC performers LaTrese Saine, the 2020-21 OVC Defensive Player of the Year, and Tesia Thompson graduated this past May.
 
Looking Ahead
After Tuesday's game against Southern Illinois, SEMO will host Saint Louis Friday and Harris-Stowe Sunday to complete the week of three home games. Tip is 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Sunday, respectively, at the Show Me Center. SEMO concludes its four game homestand Thursday, Dec. 9 against Purdue Fort Wayne at 6:30 p.m.