Game #10
Purdue Fort Wayne (4-4, 3-1 Horizon)
vs. Southeast Missouri (3-6, 0-0 OVC)
Game Information
Date: Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m., CT 
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Arena: Show Me Center
Series: SEMO leads Purdue Fort Wayne, 2-1
Last Meeting: 58-48 SEMO Win | Fort Wayne, Ind. | Nov. 21, 2019
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (98-90, Seventh Season); Maria Marchesano (4-4, First Season)
Video: ESPN+
Radio: SEMOESPN 
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets

Follow the Redhawks
Twitter: @OfficialSEMOWBB
Media Guide: Southeast Missouri
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne

Redhawks Complete Four-Game Homestand Thursday Against Purdue Fort Wayne
Southeast Missouri women's basketball (3-6) concludes its four-game homestand Thursday when the Redhawks host Purdue Fort Wayne (4-4, 3-1 Horizon) at the Show Me Center. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m., CT in SEMO's penultimate non-conference game this season.
 
Follow the Redhawks 
Fans can listen to Thursday's games live on the radio at SEMOESPN with Erik Sean calling the action. The game will also be televised live on ESPN+. Follow the game on Twitter @OfficialSEMOWBB.
 
Series History 
SEMO leads the all-time series with Purdue Fort Wayne, 2-1.
 
The Redhawks won the most recent meeting between the two schools, 58-48, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Nov. 21, 2019. Taelour Pruitt finished with a game-high 17 points to lead three SEMO starters in double figures. She shot 7-of-13 from the field and went 2-of-2 at the free throw line. Carrie Shephard followed close behind with 16 points and Jessie Harshberger added 10.
 
Scouting the Mastodons
Purdue Fort Wayne is 4-4 in 2021-22 and 3-1 currently in the Horizon League. PFW most recently lost at Northern Kentucky, 69-60, on Dec. 5.
 
The Mastodons have also lost to SIUE, 68-56, in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Nov. 28 and benefited from two forfeit wins.
 
The Dons were selected 11th in the Horizon League Preseason Poll.
 
Smith Tabbed OVC Freshman of the Week
Halle Smith was named the OVC Freshman of the Week, the league announced Tuesday morning.
 
Smith notched 35 points (11.7ppg) with 15 rebounds (5.0rpg) in SEMO's three home games this past week in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Smith shot 69 percent from the field and was 8-for-10 at the charity stripe. The 6-0 freshman forward from Belle, Missouri, opened the week with eight points and four boards against Southern Illinois on Nov. 30. She then added nine points and three rebounds versus Saint Louis on Dec. 3 in her first career start at SEMO.
 
Smith then closed the week with a career-best 18 points in Sunday's win over Harris-Stowe State. Smith added a personal-best eight rebounds to complement her point total in 27 minutes. She shot 6-for-8 on field goals and 6-for-6 on free throws with two blocks in her second-straight start.
 
The weekly honor marks the first for Smith in her career at SEMO. She is the second Redhawk in 2021-22 to earn the award.
 
About Last Week
SEMO went 1-3 this past week at home with losses to Southern Illinois (78-61, Nov. 30) and Saint Louis (83-54, Dec. 3) and a victory over Harris-Stowe State (95-57, Dec. 5).
 
HSSU Recap
Four Redhawks finished in double-figures as SEMO (3-6) dominated Harris-Stowe State (2-5), 95-57, Sunday afternoon at the Show Me Center.
 
Deanay Watson registered her first double-double outing of the campaign with a career-best 23 points, 11 rebounds with two steals and a block in 30 minutes of court time. Watson, a senior from Bradenton, Florida, was 9-for-12 from the field including 50 percent (1-for-2) from three-point range. She also was perfect 4-for-4 on free throws.
 
Roshala Scott and Halle Smith each chipped in 18 points with seven and eight boards, respectively.
  
Kori Tomlin, a junior transfer from Moberly Area Community College, posted a career-best 10 points in 24 minutes. She was 3-for-9 shooting and 3-for-7 on triples with five assists and two steals.

Johné Stewart finished Sunday with a personal-best six points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes. Chandler Davis posted a career-best five points in eight minutes of action.
 
SEMO shot a season-best 52 percent including 9-for-14 in the fourth quarter. The Redhawks also had a 2021-22 high of 22 assists.
 
SLU Recap
Taelour Pruitt scored 18 points and Deanay Watson added 10 points and eight rebounds as SEMO fell to in-state foe Saint Louis (2-5), 83-54, Dec. 3 at the Show Me Center. Pruitt drained four 3-pointers in her fourth double-digit game of the season.
 
For the game, SEMO shot 32.3 percent (21-of-65) from the field and was outrebounded, 52-32.
 
Southern Illinois Recap
Southern Illinois shot 60 percent from the field with four Salukis finishing in double-figures scoring to overcome Southeast Missouri, 78-61, Nov. 30 at the Show Me Center. SEMO in comparison converted at a 43 percent clip and finished the game 27-for-61 (44.3 percent).
 
Roshala Scott paced SEMO with 16 points, shooting 7-for-15, with four rebounds and three assists. Jaliyah Green chipped in a career best 15 points with two boards. Green, a freshman from Wentzville, Missouri, shot 7-for-14 in 31 minutes of court time.
 
Career-High for Watson
Deanay Watson registered her first double-double outing of the 2021-22 campaign with a career-best 23 points, 11 rebounds with two steals and a block in 30 minutes of court time Dec. 5 against Harris-Stowe State.
 
Watson, a senior from Bradenton, Florida, was 9-for-12 from the field including 50 percent (1-for-2) from three-point range. She also was perfect 4-for-4 on free throws.
 
Watson registered 33 points (11.0ppg) and 19 boards (6.3rpg) in SEMO's three games this past week in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Watson shot 52 percent from the floor and 4-for-5 at the charity stripe. She posted 10 points and eight rebounds against SLU on Dec. 3, going 5-for-12 from the field.
 
Watson has started in all nine games for the Redhawks and opened the season with double-figures points in six games. She is averaging 10.1 points per game with 4.8 boards in 26.0 minutes. Watson is shooting 62.7 percent from the field.

Pruitt Ranks in the Top-10 in the OVC
Senior guard Taelour Pruitt ranks first in the OVC for three-point field goal attempts (58) and second for field goal attempts (110). She is also third in the league with 31 assists, averaging 3.4 per game (seventh in the OVC).
 
Pruitt most recently notched 18 points against Saint Louis Dec. 3, shooting 6-for-16 and 57 percent on treys.
 
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 nine games for SEMO in 2021-22, averaging 9.8 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 26.2 minutes. She is shooting .294 from the field.
 
Block Party
SEMO ranks first as a team in the conference with 30 blocked shots, averaging 3.3 per game (second in the OVC).
 
Shymaryia Christopher leads the Redhawks with five (0.6 blocks/game), while Taelour Pruitt, Michaela Mayfield and Roshala Scott each have four (0.4 blocks/game).
 
Nothing Shy about Christopher
Redshirt-freshman Shymaryia Christopher has returned to the Redhawks Starting 5 the past two games due to injuries within the SEMO program.
 
Christopher registered eight points against Saint Louis on Dec. 3 and added six in the victory over Harris-Stowe State on Dec. 5.

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 has started in six games for SEMO and has played in all nine in 2021-22. She started the first four games this season. She is averaging 7.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 17.6 minutes. Christopher is shooting 43 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range.
 
Scott in the Starting Five
Roshala Scott has appeared in the Redhawks starting five each of the last five games.
 
She led SEMO with 16 points, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot against Southern Illinois on Nov. 30. Scott shot 7-for-15 (.467) and was perfect 2-for-2 at the free throw line and added four boards.
  
Scott has finished in double-digits scoring in five of the last six games for SEMO.
 
She most recently had 18 points and seven rebounds against Harris-Stowe State on Dec. 5. Scott shot 57 percent from the field and passed out two assists with a block and a steal.
 
Scott leads SEMO this season with 12.1 points/game (109 points) in just under 25 minutes. She is shooting 42 percent from the field with 4.2 rebounds per game.
 
Our Favorite Color Besides Red is Jaliyah Green
Jaliyah Green chipped in a career best 15 points with two boards against Southern Illinois Nov. 30. Green, a freshman from Wentzville, Missouri, shot 7-for-14 in 31 minutes of court time. It was her second career double-digit point game as a Redhawk.
 
Green, the OVC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 23, has started in seven games for SEMO in 2021-22. She is averaging 7.1 points per game with 4.0 rebounds in 24.6 minutes. Green is shooting .339 from the field and 70 percent from the charity stripe. 

Back-to-Back 10 Point Games for Smith
Halle Smith registered consecutive 10-point games against Arkansas State (Nov. 22) and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26).
 
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 seven rebounds and six points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27).
   
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 brings 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 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. 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
SEMO next closes out its non-conference slate at Xavier of the Big East on Sunday, Dec. 19. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m., CT at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.