CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Tesia Thompson registered a double-double of 26 points with 14 rebounds to lead Southeast Missouri women's basketball (11-7, 9-4 OVC) to a 62-54 win over Jacksonville State (8-6, 5-5 OVC) Saturday at the Show Me Center.
 
Sophie Bussard chipped in 12 points with four boards and LaTrese Saine finished with eight points, six blocks and four rebounds as SEMO won its second straight OVC contest.
 
Thompson started the game strong, collecting all nine of SEMO's points to open the game with a 9-2 advantage with 4:42 left in the first. She had 13 points and four boards, shooting 6-for-10 in the first quarter.
 
Bussard then hit a 3-pointer to extend the Redhawks advantage to 12-5. Thompson's bucket with 2:24 on the scoreboard pushed the SEMO margin to 14-5, its largest of the evening.
 
Keiara Griffin's trey with five ticks in the opening frame, cut the lead to 19-15.
 
Griffin added another basket from behind the arc to pull the Gamecocks within three with 6:27 left in the half.
 
Thompson then converted on a jumper to regrow the SEMO lead to 35-26 with 2:57 left in the first half. Saine added a basket to provide the Redhawks with a 37-29 edge at the break.
 
SEMO shot 62 percent from the field in the second quarter and finished with a clip of 53 percent in the opening half.
 
In the third quarter, Kiana Johnson cut the SEMO lead to a possession, 41-39, with a fast break bucket with 5:15 to play in the third.
 
The Redhawks then closed the third frame on a 6-0 run to bring their advantage to 47-39.
 
JSU commenced the final quarter with a 6-0 spurt of its own to once again cut the SEMO lead to two, 47-45, with 8:02 left to play.
 
Bussard completed a three-point play to extend the lead to 50-45 with 7:40 on the clock.
 
The Gamecocks would come as close as 58-54 down the stretch after a pair of free throws from Taylor Hawks with 30 seconds remaining.
 
Taelour Pruitt and Thompson each converted on their trips to the charity stripe to close the game, 62-54.
 
Pruitt played in her first game since Jan. 14 after missing the past eight with an injury. She finished Saturday with three steals, two assists, two points and a board in 19 minutes of action.
 
SEMO finished 41 percent shooting and 3-for-15 from distance. The Redhawks went 9-for-13 from the charity stripe. The Gamecocks shot just 29 percent and struggled from three-point range finishing 2-for-17.
 
Nyrobi Pillers led the Redhawks off the bench with seven points, shooting 3-for-5 from the field with four rebounds.

SEMO wore pink uniforms for its Play4Kay Pink Up Game which honors female cancer SURVIVORS and THRIVERS (cancer warriors).
 
Taylor Hawks and Yamia Johnson led JSU with 13 points apiece. Hawks also had a career-high 10 rebounds for her first career double-double as a Gamecock.
 
SEMO next heads to Belmont on Tuesday to open a three-game road swing. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m., CT at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee.