Game #16 | OVC #5
Southeast Missouri (4-11, 0-4 OVC)
vs. Tennessee Tech (7-7, 2-2 OVC)
Game Information
Date: Thursday, Jan. 13, 2021
Tip-off: 5 p.m., CT 
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.          
Arena: Show Me Center
Series: Tennessee Tech leads 32-23
Last Meeting: 59-55 SEMO Win | Feb. 4, 2021 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.   
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (99-95, Seventh Season); Kim Rosamond (78-8, Sixth Season at TTU)
Video: ESPN+
Radio: SEMOESPN (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
Game #17 | OVC #6
Southeast Missouri (4-12, 0-5 OVC)
at SIUE (5-8, 1-1 OVC)
Game Information
Date: Saturday, Jan. 15, 2021
Tip-off: 1 p.m., CT 
Location: Edwardsville, Ill.     
Arena: First Community Arena
Series: SEMO leads 29-19 
Last Meeting:  63-52 SEMO Win | Feb. 27, 2021 | Edwardsville, Ill.
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (99-96, Seventh Season); Samantha Quigley Smith (5-8, First Season at SIUE, 189-104, 10 Seasons)
Video: ESPN+
Radio: SEMOESPN (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Follow the Redhawks
Twitter: @OfficialSEMOWBB
Media Guide: Southeast Missouri
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri vs. TTU | Southeast Missouri at SIUE
Tennessee Tech | SIUE 
 
Redhawks Host Tennessee Tech Thursday Before Heading to SIUE Saturday
Southeast Missouri women's basketball (4-11, 0-4 OVC) will host Tennessee Tech (7-7, 2-2 OVC) Thursday before traveling to SIUE (5-8, 1-1 OVC) Saturday this week. SEMO opens the week against TTU Thursday at 5 p.m., CT at the Show Me Center. The Redhawks conclude the week at SIUE on Saturday. First tip is set for 1 p.m., CT at the First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Follow the Redhawks 
Fans can listen to Thursday and Saturday's games live on the radio at SEMOESPN with Erik Sean calling the action. The games will also be televised live on ESPN+. Follow the game on Twitter @OfficialSEMOWBB.
 
Series History 
Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with SEMO, 32-23. SEMO however has won the last seven meetings between the two schools.

SEMO won both meetings during the 2020-21 season and most recently edged TTU, 59-55, Feb. 4, 2021, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Redhawks held off a late rally by TTU. Tesia Thompson paced the Redhawks with 17 points and seven assists. Roshala Scott and Sophie Bussard each chipped in 11 points apiece. Scott was 5-for-7 from the field.
 
SEMO also secured its first OVC win of the 2020-21 season Dec. 30, 2020, 79-70, over TTU in the initial season meeting.

SIUE 
SEMO leads the all-time series with SIUE, 29-19. SEMO has won the last seven meetings between the two schools.
 
The Redhawks won both meetings during the 2020-21 season, most recently upending SIUE, 63-52, Feb. 27, 2021 at the First Community Arena, to secure the third seed in this upcoming week's Ohio Valley Conference Championship.
 
Four Redhawks finished in double-figures as SEMO tallied its 15th win of the year. Terri Smith led the Redhawks for the second-straight game with 14 points, shooting 5-for-11 from the field and 4-for-7 on 3-pointers. She has now finished in double-digits each of the last three games. Roshala Scott and LaTrese Saine each chipped in 13. Scott knocked down 5-for-9 field goals and was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, while registering six assists.
 
LaTrese Saine also notched a career-best 27 points coupled with 15 rebounds and seven blocks to lead SEMO to a 77-62 victory over SIUE in the initial 2020-21 season meeting on Jan. 28.

Scouting the Opponents
Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles are 2-2 in the OVC in 2021-22. TTU opened the conference slate with a 96-93 loss at Tennessee State in overtime on Dec. 30, 2021. The Golden Eagles have also beat Morehead State (78-48 Win, Jan. 6) and split their regular-season series with Murray State, most recently dropping a 70-45 decision to the Racers on Jan. 8.
 
Anna Walker had 21 points against Morehead State and followed that up with 16 against Murray State.

SIUE
The Cougars are 1-1 in OVC play this season and most recently had their games at Austin Peay and against Murray State scheduled for Jan. 6 and Jan. 8, respectively, postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the SIUE program. The Cougars lost at Belmont, 87-49, on Dec. 30, 2021 before beating UT Martin, 62-58, in Martin, Tennessee, on Jan. 1.
 
Tennessee State Recap
Deanay Watson registered a game-high 22 points with five rebounds as SEMO dropped an 83-64 decision to Tennessee State (9-6, 4-0 OVC) Jan. 8 at the Gentry Center. Watson, a senior guard from Bradenton, Florida, shot 9-for-14 from the field for her second career 20-plus outing.
 
SEMO held a slight 35-31 advantage at the break. It was the Redhawks first halftime lead since Dec. 5, 2021 against Harris-Stowe.
  
Jaliyah Green and Kori Tomlin each finished with eight points. Green played in a career-best 34 minutes, shooting 3-for-8 including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Taelour Pruitt dished out six assists with five points and three steals.

Belmont Recap 
SEMO had three scorers in double-digits but it wasn't enough as they fell to Belmont, the Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite, 85-65, Jan. 6 at the Curb Event Center. Shymaryia Christopher paced the Redhawks with 14 points; all scored in the second half. Deanay Watson and Jaliyah Green each added 10 points while Taelour Pruitt and Kennedi Watkins both finished with nine, respectively.
 
Watson was a career-best 3-for-4 from three-point range and 3-for-7 shooting from the field. She appeared in a game-high 31 minutes, adding three boards. Christopher shot 5-for-7 including 5-for-6 in the second half. Green shot 4-for-9 Thursday in her return to the starting five on her birthday. Pruitt and Watkins paced SEMO with five rebounds each. Pruitt divvied out a team best three assists and three steals. Kori Tomlin added seven points with two assists and two rebounds in her fifth-straight start. She shot 3-for-5 on field goals including 50 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Redhawks Add Mid-Year Transfer Forward Julia Sion
SEMO head coach Rekha Patterson announced Monday the addition of mid-year transfer Julia Sion for the 2021-22 season. Sion, a 6-2 junior forward, will join the Redhawks this season after transferring from North Alabama. She will have two years of eligibility remaining.
 
Good Show, Watson
Deanay Watson paced the Redhawks with 32 points (16.0ppg) with eight rebounds (4.0rpg) this past week in SEMO's games in Nashville, Tennessee. She opened the week with 10 points and three rebounds, shooting 3-for-7 from the field Jan. 6 against Belmont. Watson also made a career best 3-for-4 from three-point range. She then registered a game-high 22 points with five rebounds against Tennessee State Jan. 8. Watson, a senior guard from Bradenton, Florida, shot 9-for-14 from the field for her second career 20-plus outing. Her nine field goals matched a career-best. She also finished the week with two steals and an assist in 64 minutes of court time.
 
Watson is the only Redhawk to start in all 15 games this season. She has posted double-figure points in 11 games. Watson is averaging 11.1 points per game with 5.6 boards in 28.4 minutes. Watson is shooting 58 percent from the field and has registered 10 or more points in six of the last seven games.
 
In OVC play, Watson is averaging 15.5 points (ninth) and 5.5 boards (15th). She is fifth for three-point field goal percentage with .517 and seventh for offensive rebounding (11, 2.8rpg) and field goal percentage (.578, 26-for-45).
 
Welcome Back Jaliyah Green and Kennedi Watkins
Freshmen Jaliyah Green and Kennedi Watkins both returned to the court for the Redhawks Dec. 30, 2021 and Jan. 1, 2022 at Murray State and against Austin Peay after missing the previous four games with injuries. Green posted six points off the bench at Murray State and finished the week with eight. Watkins finished with a career-high two blocks at Murray State and totaled six points last week.
 
Green returned to the starting lineup this past week in Nashville, Tennessee. Green registered 18 points (9.0ppg) and three boards (1.5rpg). She opened the week with 10 points and two boards against Belmont on Jan. 6. Green shot 4-for-9 on her birthday in her return to the starting five. She last started for the Redhawks on Nov. 30 against Southern Illinois. Green then posted eight points, going 3-for-8 from the field including 2-for-3 from distance at Tennessee State. Green also finished the week with two assists and a steal in 54 minutes of court time.

Watkins posted nine points and five rebounds, shooting 3-for-6 at Belmont on Jan. 6.
 
The duo started the first seven games of the 2021-22 campaign.
   
Pruitt Ranks in the Top-10 in the OVC
Senior guard Taelour Pruitt ranks second in the OVC for three-point field goal attempts (80). She is also seventh in the league with 3.3 assists per game.
 
In OVC only play, Pruitt is fifth for assists (4.0 apg, 16) and ranks eighth with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.0. She is also 13th for steals (1.8spg, 7).
 
She most recently posted 14 points this past week in Nashville, Tennessee. Pruitt notched nine points and five boards Jan. 6 at Belmont.
 
Pruitt has started the last four games in her return to the starting lineup after appearing in the first nine games as a starter.
 
Pruitt led the Redhawks offensively with a season-high 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 played in all 15 games in 2021-22, starting in 13. She is averaging 9.6 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 26.5 minutes. She is shooting .311 from the field.
 
Cracking the Top-10 All-Time
Taelour Pruitt ranks ninth overall in SEMO program history for career 3-pointers (96). She also is 11th for assists (263) and steals (133) and will look to break into the top-10 this season for both categories.
 
Pruitt most recently surpassed 700 career points (750) in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Dec. 9, 2021.
 
Nothing Shy about Christopher
Redshirt-freshman Shymaryia Christopher paced the Redhawks with 14 points; all scored in the second half Jan. 6 at Belmont. Christopher shot 5-for-7 including 5-for-6 in the second half off the bench.
 
She led SEMO with a career-best matching 15 points and five rebounds at Xavier on Dec. 19. Christopher shot 7-for-12 from the floor in the non-conference finale. 
 
Christopher previously paced 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 10 games for SEMO and has played in all 15 in 2021-22. She started the first four games this season and 10 of the last 12. She is averaging 7.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 17.7 minutes. Christopher is shooting 43 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range.
 
Smith in the Starting 5
Halle Smith, a freshman forward from Belle, Missouri, has started in the last eight contests for the Redhawks.
 
Smith most recently posted 11 points (5.5ppg) and five rebounds (2.5rpg) this past week in Nashville, Tennessee. She closed the week with seven points, shooting 3-for-7 at Tennessee State on Jan. 8.
  
Smith notched 15 points with six rebounds in SEMO's 68-51 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Dec. 9. Smith shot 5-for-7 from the floor, including 2-for-2 on triples. She also was 75 percent at the free throw line and was SEMO's second-highest scorer in the non-conference win.
 
Smith registered a career-best 18 points Dec. 5 in the Redhawks 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.
 
Smith made her first career start as a Redhawk against Saint Louis on Dec. 3, finishing with nine points and three boards.
 
She also registered consecutive 10-point games against Arkansas State (Nov. 22) and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26).
 
Smith has competed in all 15 games in 2021-22 and is averaging 7.9 points and 4.6 boards in 22.1 minutes. She is shooting 53 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc.
  
Tomlin in the Starting Five
Kori Tomlin, a junior transfer from Moberly Area Community College, made her first career start as a Redhawk Dec. 9 against Purdue Fort Wayne and has started in the last six games for SEMO. She finished with a career-best four steals, four assists and three points against the Mastodons.
 
She most recently had 15 points, finishing with seven and eight respectively at Belmont (Jan. 6) and Tennessee State (Jan. 8) this past week in Nashville, Tennessee.
 
Tomlin posted a career-best 10 points in 24 minutes against Harris-Stowe State on Dec. 5. She was 3-for-9 shooting and 3-for-7 on triples with five assists and two steals.
 
Tomlin made her second-straight start Dec. 19 at Xavier, finishing with eight points on a .419 clip with a career best four rebounds. 
 
Tomlin has played in all 15 games thus far this season and is averaging 4.0 points, 2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 23.6 minutes of court time. She is shooting 30 percent from the field and 33 percent from distance.
 
Tomlin ranks eighth on three-pointers with a percentage of .500 in OVC only play.
 
Where We Rank in the OVC
SEMO ranks second as a team in the conference with 527 rebounds (37.64rpg). Deanay Watson leads the Redhawks with 84 (5.6rpg) followed by Halle Smith (69, 4.6rpg) and Roshala Scott (59, 4.2 rpg). Kennedi Watkins is averaging 4.5 (49) and Michaela Mayfield has tallied 49 (3.3rpg).
 
The Redhawks are also third for blocked shots (43, 3.1 blocks/game) and fifth in the OVC for assists (190) and field goal percentage (40.1 percent).
 
In OVC only play, SEMO is first with a three-point field goal percentage of .375 (21-for-56) and three-point field goal defense (.269). The Redhawks are also sixth with 5.3 triples (21) per contest.

Patterson About to Eclipse 100 Wins
Head coach Rekha Patterson is one win away from 100 in her career at the helm of Southeast Missouri. In seven seasons at SEMO, Patterson has registered a mark of 99-95.
 
Non-Conference Recap
SEMO went 4-7 in its 2021-22 non-conference slate. The Redhawks picked up wins over the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (UHSP, 68-45, Nov. 9), Mississippi Valley State (82-76, Nov. 26), Harris-Stowe State (95-57, Dec. 5) and Purdue Fort Wayne (68-51, Dec. 9).

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. It was her second career double-double as a Redhawk.
 
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.
      
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 played 11 non-conference games to commence the season.
 
The Redhawks 2021-22 schedule also includes 18 Ohio Valley Conference matchups, playing each conference institution twice.
 
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 hosts Tennessee State Thursday, Jan. 20 at the Show Me Center to conclude the regular-season series. The Redhawks then conclude the week at Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 22.