COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Taelour Pruitt registered a game-high 23 points with four rebounds as Southeast Missouri women's basketball (5-21, 1-14 OVC) dropped a competitive road contest to Tennessee Tech (17-8, 12-3 OVC), 65-55, Thursday evening at the Eblen Center. 
 
Pruitt, a senior from Crowley, Texas, notched her seventh career 20-plus game as a Redhawk (third in 2021-22), shooting 9-for-21 from the field including a pair of triples (2-for-7) in a game-high 37 minutes. 
 
SEMO held a 43-42 lead after the third quarter before the Golden Eagles outscored the Redhawks, 23-12, in the fourth period. TTU shot 50 percent during the quarter to conclude the game.
 
Anna Jones paced TTU with 13 points in the fourth stanza, going 5-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 at the charity stripe. She led the Golden Eagles with 22 total points (7-for-14) and 16 rebounds for the double-double outing.
 
The Golden Eagles opened the fourth on a 9-2 run to pull ahead 51-45 with 5:36 left in regulation. 
 
Johné Stewart drove the lane for the bucket to cut the deficit to 52-49 at the 4:36 mark.
 
Kennedi Watkins then added a lay-up to make the score 58-52 with 2:17 left to play.
 
Tennessee Tech took its largest lead of the day, 65-53, after Jones converted a pair of free throws with 24 seconds remaining Thursday.
 
SEMO led the Golden Eagles 18-13 after the first quarter. The Redhawks opened the game with a 58 percent clip and went on a 9-0 rally to pull ahead 18-11 with 41 ticks in the first period. 
 
Pruitt had 10 points in the first quarter alone, shooting 4-for-4 including 2-for-2 from distance. 
 
She scored seven straight points to provide the Redhawks a 16-11 edge at 1:35 left in the opening quarter. Jaliyah Green added a basket to increase the lead to 18-11. 
 
Mackenzie Coleman notched a jumper with four seconds left in the first quarter to cut the lead to 18-13. 
 
Tennessee Tech then took a 32-24 lead at halftime after outscoring SEMO, 19-6, in the second frame. 
 
The Golden Eagles opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run to even the game at 18-18 after a bucket by Coleman at 7:55. 
 
TTU then went on a 14-0 run to widen the gap to 32-21. 
 
The Redhawks then clawed back into the game with a strong third quarter where they outscored TTU, 19-10. 
 
SEMO shot 57 percent while the Golden Eagles were 1-for-12 from the field in the third quarter.
 
Deanay Watson commenced the third frame with a triple to cut the Golden Eagles lead to 32-27. 
 
Stewart added a jumper with 5:58 to play in the third quarter to trim the margin to 36-33. 
 
She finished with a career-best eight points, going 4-for-5 from the field with three assists and a steal. 
 
Michaela Mayfield grabbed a steal before streaking down the court for the fast break lay-up to bring the score to 39-35. She totaled three points and three rebounds off the bench.  
 
Pruitt then knocked down consecutive jumpers to ignite an 8-0 SEMO run. 
 
Watkins evened the contest at 41-41 with a lay-up with 1:22 in the third. 
 
Pruitt added another basket to provide the Redhawks a 43-41 lead with just under a minute in the third period. 
 
Anna Walker made a free throw with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter to make it a 43-42 game and set the stage for the decisive fourth quarter. 
 
SEMO outshot TTU Thursday, 40 percent to 30 percent. 
 
The Golden Eagles however were 83 percent at the charity stripe including 9-for-13 in the final quarter. 
 
SEMO slightly led points in the paint, 28-26. 
 
TTU notched 23 points off turnovers and 12 points off second chance opportunities. 
 
Watkins chipped in seven points and seven boards Thursday, shooting 2-for-4 from the field and 3-for-4 on free throws. Watson added five points and four boards.
 
Green also grabbed four rebounds with two points. 
 
Coleman added 14 points for the Golden Eagles while Jada Guinn had eight followed by Anna Walker (seven points). 
 
SEMO next closes out its final road trip of the 2021-22 season Saturday at Morehead State.