CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri women's basketball (4-6) outscored Purdue Fort Wayne (4-5), 42-25, in the second half to down the Mastodons, 68-51, Thursday evening at the Show Me Center.
 
Taelour Pruitt led the Redhawks with 16 points while Halle Smith added 15 followed by Roshala Scott (14 points) and Deanay Watson (10 points and nine boards) in the victory.
 
Pruitt tallied 11 of her 16 points in the second half, shooting 3-for-6 and 4-for-4 at the charity stripe in the final 20 minutes.
 
SEMO and Purdue Fort Wayne went to the break knotted at 26-26. Both teams shot 30 percent from the field before the Redhawks dominating third quarter.
 
SEMO then outscored the Mastodons 25-11 in the third quarter to pull ahead 51-37.
 
The Redhawks commenced the third stanza on a 17-2 run to extend the gap to 43-28. Smith knocked down a trey with 5:49 left in the quarter to punctuate a 12-0 run by SEMO.
 
The freshman from Belle, Missouri, was 2-for-2 from behind the arc Thursday and shot 71 percent overall from the field. She also grabbed six rebounds in her third-straight start.
 
Smith then added a lay-up to grow the lead to 47-30 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.
 
Amellia Bromenschenkel hit a 3-ptr with 4:42 left in regulation to cut the SEMO advantage to 55-48 before the Redhawks rebuilt their lead.
 
Bromenschenkel and Sylare Starks led PFW with 12 points each.
 
SEMO concluded the contest on a 13-3 run and scored 13 straight points to take their largest lead of the night, 68-48.
 
Pruitt compiled consecutive baskets before burying a triple to put SEMO up 66-48.
 
SEMO shot 71 percent in the third quarter and finished the night with a mark of 44 percent. PFW in comparison shot 20-for-64 including 25 percent from distance.
 
The Redhawks closed the opening quarter on a 7-0 run for a slight 16-12 edge. Smith converted a triple before consecutive buckets by Shymaryia Christopher and Watson.
 
After outscoring the Mastodons, 16-12 in the first quarter, PFW held a 14-10 advantage in the second frame.
 
Watson converted a fast-break basket off a feed from Scott to tie the game at 26-26 with less than a minute remaining in the half.
 
SEMO shot 39 percent from 3-point range including 2-for-2 in the third quarter.
 
The Redhawks were also 13-for-15 at the free throw line while the Mastodons were 3-for-4.
 
Scott and Christopher each totaled seven rebounds.
 
Kori Tomlin finished with three points, four steals, four assists and two boards in her first career start at SEMO.

SEMO totaled 16 assists in the win paced by Tomlin and Pruitt who each had four. 
 
The Redhawks outscored Purdue Fort Wayne, 38-20, in the paint and cashed in 11 points off 14 Mastodon turnovers.
 
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.