NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Deanay Watson registered a game-high 22 points with five rebounds as Southeast Missouri women's basketball (4-11, 0-4 OVC) dropped an 83-64 decision to Tennessee State (9-6, 4-0 OVC) Saturday afternoon 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.
 
Tatyana Davis and Saniah Parker each finished with 18 points for the Tigers. Dominique Claytor added 11 points while Sierra McCullough and Gia Adams each had nine.
 
SEMO held a slight 35-31 advantage at the break. It was the Redhawks first halftime lead since Dec. 5, 2021 against Harris-Stowe.
 
The opening half Saturday featured 10 lead changes and eight tie score lines.
 
Tennessee State then outscored the Redhawks 52-29 in the second half to secure the win including 26-12 in the final 10 minutes.
 
TSU shot 12-for-14 on free throws during the third quarter as well as 50 percent from the field.

The Tigers also turned in 28 points off SEMO turnovers and netted 14 points off the fast break.
 
Jaliyah Green hit a triple to bring the Redhawks lead to 38-33 at 9:05 in the third quarter.
 
The Tigers opened the third quarter on an 11-3 run for a 42-38 advantage.
 
Watson then hit a jumper to cut the deficit to 46-43 with 4:27 remaining in the third frame.
 
She then converted a triple to make it a two-point game (52-50). Watson was perfect from distance (1-for-1) Saturday.
 
Johné Stewart evened the contest at 52-52 with a bucket at 2:05.
 
The Tigers then wrapped up the third with five unanswered points to go up 57-52 heading into the fourth.
 
TSU continued that run into the fourth quarter, increasing its advantage to 63-52 after an 11-0 rally with 8:14 remaining in regulation.
 
The Tigers took their largest lead of the day, 81-60, after a basket by Parker with 1:33 left to play.

Taelour Pruitt opened Saturday with a trey to provide the Redhawks a 3-0 lead early. Kori Tomlin added a three-pointer of her own to make the score 6-2.
 
The Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to switch the lead to 9-8 for TSU with 2:14 in the first quarter.
 
Watson connected on a jumper as SEMO went to the second half with a 13-12 lead.
 
Green then tallied a basket from three-point range to knot the game at 16-16 with 8:57 left in the second quarter.
 
Lacy Robbins converted a bucket after a steal to put the Tigers up 26-22 at 5:27 in the second.
 
Tomlin then connected on a basket after Michaela Mayfield converted both of her free throw attempts to tie the game at 26-26.
 
Halle Smith registered a lay-up to provide the Redhawks a 35-29 lead with just under a minute left in the second frame.
 
The basket concluded a 9-0 run for the Redhawks. Smith started the sequence with a good ole three-point play.
 
The Redhawks shot 58 percent during the second quarter and were paced by Watson who notched nine points during the opening half.
 
Green and 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.
 
Smith added seven point, two rebounds and a block. Stewart matched a personal best six points with five boards, shooting 50 percent (3-for-6) from the field.
 
Pruitt dished out six assists with five points and three steals.
 
SEMO shot 47 percent overall as a team and .417 from three-point range. TSU in comparison shot 11.1 percent from distance and 47.5 percent from the field.
 
SEMO led at the charity stripe converting 78 percent while the Tigers finished with a clip of 72.7 percent.
 
With the win, TSU extended its win streak to six and stayed undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play.
 
SEMO next returns home to Cape Girardeau to host Tennessee Tech Thursday, Jan. 13 at the Show Me Center. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m., CT. The Redhawks then close the week at SIUE on Saturday, Jan. 15.