CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's basketball (5-16, 1-9 OVC) had three scorers finish in double-digits as the Redhawks fell to SIUE (9-11, 5-4 OVC), 69-61, Saturday at the Show Me Center in the regular-season series finale between the two institutions.
 
Taelour Pruitt and Deanay Watson paced SEMO with 18 points each and Kennedi Watkins added a career-best matching 14.
 
Watkins extended her streak of scoring in double figures to six-straight games with her third 14-point total in 2021-22.
 
SEMO led the Cougars, 35-31, at halftime before SIUE outscored the Redhawks, 38-26, in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Redhawks opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run to grow their advantage to 45-33 at the 6:05 mark.
 
Pruitt and Kori Tomlin each hit triples during the sequence to put SEMO up 12.
 
The Cougars responded with a 7-0 run to conclude the third frame and cut the deficit to 49-48.
 
Mikayla Kinnard then added a basket to provide SIUE a 51-49 lead early in the fourth quarter and extend the rally to 10-0 Cougars.
 
Watkins converted a pair of lay-ups to retie the contest at 51-51 and then 53-53.
 
Pruitt added a jumper to make the score 56-55 and Watson hit a basket to cut the SIUE edge to 59-57.
 
Kinnard posted another basket to push the Cougars back to 65-59 with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.

Watson cut the lead to four points before SIUE concluded the game with four straight points to capture the win.
 
SEMO outscored the Cougars, 15-4, on second chance opportunities in the opening half before SIUE led the stat, 17-4, in the second half.
 
The Redhawks shot 37 percent from the field including 44 percent in the first period. SIUE in comparison converted 24-for-58 for 41 percent.
 
The Cougars also had 38 points in the paint, 29 off turnovers and 12 fast break points.
 
Kinnard led the Cougars with a game-high 21 points.
 
Watson shot 7-for-15 from the field including 1-for-1 beyond the arc with eight rebounds. She was also 3-for-3 on free throws.
 
Pruitt finished 7-for-18 from the field including 4-for-9 on triples in a team-high 39 minutes.
 
Watkins hauled down seven boards, shooting 50 percent. Johné Stewart added a career best six rebounds and six assists in her third career start as a Redhawk. 
 
With the win, SIUE took the regular-season series on SEMO, 2-0.
 
SEMO next heads to UT Martin on Thursday, Feb. 3 before hosting Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 5. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m., CT in the Thursday road matchup in Martin, Tennessee. SEMO's home contest with EIU is scheduled for 2 p.m.