CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Halle Smith registered a game-high 14 points and Kennedi Watkins almost had a double-double of 13 points and a career-best nine rebounds as Southeast Missouri women's basketball (4-14, 0-7 OVC) fell to Tennessee State (10-7, 5-1 OVC), 68-53, Thursday evening at the Show Me Center.   
 
Watkins, a freshman from Ballwin, Missouri, registered double-digit points in her third straight game. She made her first start since Nov. 30, 2021 and appeared in a personal-high 32 minutes. Watkins shot 4-for-14 from the field.
 
Smith finished 50 percent shooting and notched a personal-best three blocks.
 
Tennessee State jumped out to 35-11 first half lead. The Tigers limited the Redhawks to just three points in the second quarter and forced 10 turnovers during the frame.
 
Jaliyah Green converted a second-chance lay-up to cut the TSU lead to 4-3 early Thursday.
 
TSU closed the opening quarter on a 13-1 run to go up 19-8.
 
The Tigers took their largest lead of the first half, 35-11, on a bucket by Lacy Robins with 1:35 remaining in the second period.
 
Michaela Mayfield split a pair of free throws for SEMO's first point of the second quarter, 23-9, at 6:55. Mayfield tallied a career best nine points, going a personal-best 7-for-8 at the charity stripe.
 
Watkins then notched SEMO's first field goal of the second quarter to make the score 32-11 with just over two minutes left in the half.
 
The Tigers took their largest lead of the night, 50-16, after a lay-up by Saniah Parker at 5:17 in the third quarter.
 
SEMO outscored TSU, 42-33, in the second half.
 
Green hit her two free throws to cut the deficit to 60-40 with 5:51 remaining in regulation.
 
The Redhawks concluded the contest on an 8-0 run punctuated by consecutive triples by Taelour Pruitt and Smith.
 
Green finished with eight points and five rebounds in a career-high 36 minutes.
 
Pruitt passed out a team-high three assists with five points.
 
Robins led TSU with 14 points and seven steals. Tatyana Davis added 11.
 
TSU dominated in the paint outscoring SEMO, 44-24, and turned in 30 points off turnovers.
 
The Redhawks (26) and Tigers (28) accounted for 54 turnovers Thursday.
 
TSU and SEMO both notched 15 second chance points.
 
The Tigers shot at a rate of 52 percent including clips of .643 in the first and third quarters. SEMO in comparison finished with a mark of 31 percent from the floor including 45 percent in the second half (50 percent in the third quarter).
 
With the win, TSU took the 2021-22 regular-season series, 2-0, on the Redhawks.
 
SEMO next finishes its week against Eastern Illinois Saturday at Lantz Arena in Charleston, Illinois. Tip is set for 1 p.m., CT.