Game #24 | OVC #13
Southeast Missouri (5-18, 1-11 OVC)
at Austin Peay (15-6, 8-3 OVC)
Game Information
Date: Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022
Tip-off:  5 p.m., CT 
Location: Clarksville, Tenn. 
Arena: Winfield Dunn Center
Series: Austin Peay leads SEMO, 35-27
Last Meeting: 72-62 APSU Win | Jan. 1, 2022 | Cape Girardeau, Mo. | Show Me Center
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (100-102, Seventh Season); Brittany Young (15-6, First Season at APSU) 
Video: ESPN+
Radio: SEMOESPN (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Game #25 | OVC #14
Belmont (14-7, 10-2 OVC)
vs. Southeast Missouri (5-18, 1-11 OVC) 
Game Information
Date: Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022
Tip-off: 2 p.m., CT 
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Arena: Show Me Center
Series: Belmont leads SEMO, 13-6
Last Meeting: 85-65 Belmont Win | Jan. 6, 2022 | Nashville, Tenn. | Curb Event Center
Head Coaches: Rekha Patterson (100-102, Seventh Season); Bart Brooks (113-33, Fifth Season at Belmont)
Video: ESPN+
Radio: SEMOESPN (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets

Follow the Redhawks
Twitter: @OfficialSEMOWBB
Media Guide: Southeast Missouri
Game Notes: SEMO at Austin Peay
Austin Peay
 
Redhawks Travel to Austin Peay Thursday Before Facing Belmont Saturday in Cape
Southeast Missouri women's basketball (5-18, 1-11 OVC) hits the road for a Thursday mid-week game at Austin Peay (15-6, 8-3 OVC) before heading back to Cape Girardeau Saturday to host Belmont (14-7, 10-2 OVC). SEMO will take on the Governors Thursday at 5 p.m., CT at the Winfield Dunn Center in Clarksville, Tennessee, before hosting Belmont Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., CT at the Show Me Center. 

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 
Austin Peay
Austin Peay leads SEMO in the all-time series, 35-27. 
 
The Governors won the initial 2021-22 meeting, 72-62, on New Year's Day 2022 (Jan. 1). Deanay Watson registered a game-high 16 points and Roshala Scott added 12 as SEMO fell to Austin Peay. Watson was 7-for-11 from the field shooting with six boards in 32 minutes of action. Scott added a 4-for-9 clip including 3-for-7 from three-point distance. Halle Smith finished with nine points and a career-high nine rebounds. 

Belmont
Belmont leads SEMO, 13-6, in the all-time series between the two institutions. 
 
The Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorites beat SEMO, 85-65, Jan. 6 at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee. SEMO had three scorers in double-digits. 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. Green shot 4-for-9 in her return to the starting five on her birthday. 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.

Scouting the Opponents
Austin Peay
The Governors are 15-6 in 2021-22 including 8-3 in conference play. APSU won both of their games this past week. The Govs edged Murray State, 69-67, in overtime on Feb. 3 in Clarksville, Tennessee, before beating Morehead State, 71-61, in Morehead, Kentucky, on Feb. 5. 
 
Karle Pace was named the OVC Co-Player of the Week after she led Austin Peay against Murray State, scoring a team-high 23 points and hitting a game-winning floater with 1.2 seconds left in overtime. Pace also made a season-high five three-pointers and was a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range, while recording a season-high six rebounds and four assists against the Racers. Against Morehead State, Pace went 3-for-5 from three-point range and scored a team-high 21 points. She also went 6-for-8 at the free throw line and dished out 4 more assists in the win against Morehead State.
 
Belmont
The Bruins, the OVC preseason favorite, are 14-7 in 2021-22 and 10-2 in the OVC. Belmont is on a four-game winning streak having most recently beat UT Martin (twice, Jan. 29 and Feb. 7), Tennessee State (58-49, Feb. 3) and Tennessee Tech (85-46, Jan. 5). Belmont gutted out a 45-39 win on Monday over UT Martin.
 
OVC Preseason Player of the Year Destinee Wells averaged 20.5 points and 7.5 assists while recording her first career double-double and scoring a season-high 27 points this past week for OVC Co-Player of the Week honors. Wells matched her career-high with 10 assists and poured in 14 points in only 28 minutes of action at Tennessee State. She went 6-for-8 from the field and was a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc against the Lady Tigers, adding a pair of steals and a trio of rebounds. Leading Belmont at Tennessee Tech, Wells scored a season-best 27 points with 12 made field goals. Her six-straight points in the fourth quarter against the Golden Eagles ignited a remarkable 17-1 Bruin run over the final 6:40 of the game. Wells accounted for 10 of Belmont's last 20 points as the Bruins outscored Tennessee Tech 20-3 over the closing nine minutes of the contest.
 
Belmont will face Morehead State Thursday before heading to Cape Girardeau Saturday.

Austin Peay Connection
SEMO Assistant Coach David Midlick previously led the Austin Peay women's basketball team as the head coach before coming to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Midlick guided the Governors to six-consecutive OVC Tournament appearances from 2015 to 2021. In his six seasons at the helm in Clarksville, Tennessee, Midlick coached five All-OVC players, including 2016-17 Player of the Year, Tearra Banks. Midlick led the Governors to 18 regular season wins in 2019-20.
 
About Last Week
SEMO fell at UT Martin, 70-66, Feb. 3 in Martin, Tennessee, before dropping a 72-53 decision to Eastern Illinois Feb. 5 at the Show Me Center. 
 
Taelour Pruitt notched 16 points and Deanay Watson had a double-double outing of 15 points and 10 rebounds as SEMO fell at UT Martin. Pruitt shot 4-for-8 from the field including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc with five rebounds and four steals. She was also 4-for-6 at the charity stripe. Watson converted 6-for-11 in a game-high 35 minutes for her fourth double-double of the 2021-22 campaign.
 
Pruitt and Watson combined for 18 points (11 and seven, respectively) in the third quarter to set the table for the decisive final period. Pruitt was 3-for-4 on three-pointers while Watson was a perfect 3-for-3 shooting during the quarter. With the game tied at 50-50, UTM outscored SEMO, 20-16, in the final quarter.
 
Three Redhawks finished in double-figures scoring including a double-double performance from Kennedi Watkins as SEMO fell to Eastern Illinois. Watkins compiled her second career double-double outing with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a career-best three blocks. She was 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 on free throws. 
 
Deanay Watson paced the Redhawks with 15 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 on free throws. Scott added 12 points and three steals, going 5-for-12 including 2-for-7 from distance.
 
First Career Starts as Redhawks
Chandler Davis and Diona Reed both made their first career starts as Redhawks Feb. 5 against Eastern Illinois. Reed finished with four points, a personal best three rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes.
 
Davis appeared in 12 minutes Feb. 5 after finishing with a career-high eight points to pace the Redhawks non-starters at UT Martin on Feb. 3. She shot 3-for-4 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 on treys against the Skyhawks. 
 
Good Show, Watson
Deanay Watson has posted double-figures scoring in each of SEMO's last five games. She has notched a double-double in three of those games during that span. 
 
Watson paced the Redhawks with 30 points (15.0ppg) and 12 rebounds (6.0rpg) in SEMO's pair of games this past week. Watson opened the week with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds at UT Martin (Feb. 3). Watson converted 6-for-11 from the field in a game-high 35 minutes for her fourth double-double of the 2021-22 campaign. She then paced the Redhawks with 15 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 on free throws against Eastern Illinois (Feb. 5). She also compiled an assist and a steal over the two games this past week.
 
Watson, a senior from Bradenton, Florida, has started in all but one game (22 starts in 23 games) for the Redhawks in 2021-22. She has posted double-figure points in 17 games. Watson is averaging 11.4 points per game with 5.8 boards in 29.7 minutes. Watson is shooting 54 percent from the field and has registered 10 or more points in 13 of the last 16 games.
 
In OVC play, Watson is averaging 13.2 points (11th) with 5.9 rebounds (6th) in 31.8 minutes (12th). She is shooting with .508 (64-126) and is fourth for offensive rebounding (30, 2.5/game).
 
Pruitt Set to Compete in 100th Career Game at SEMO
Taelour Pruitt is set to play in her 100th career game as a Redhawk when SEMO faces Austin Peay Thursday. The senior from Crowley, Texas, has made 65 starts and totaled 834 points in her career at SEMO,

Pruitt ranks eighth overall in SEMO program history for career 3-pointers (110). She also is 10th for steals (155) and 11th for assists (283).
  
She ranks eighth in OVC only play with 3.3 assists (40), fourth for steals (2.5spg, 30) and has an assist-turnover margin of 0.9 (10th). Pruitt is also eighth on three-pointers made with 18 (1.5 per game). She has appeared in 362 minutes (30.2 minutes per game, 18th) and is averaging 9.4 points per game (113 points).
 
Overall in 2021-22, Pruitt is second for three-pointers attempted (123) and sixth for steals (2.09spg, 48 steals).
 
Watkins is Wat's Up With That
Kennedi Watkins paced the Redhawks newcomers with 16 points (8ppg) and 13 rebounds (6.5rpg) in SEMO's pair of games this past week. She opened the week with six points, three rebounds and two blocks at UT Martin (Feb. 3). Watkins then compiled her second career double-double outing with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a career-best three blocks against Eastern Illinois (Feb. 5). She was 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 on free throws. Watkins also tallied an assist and a steal over the two games this past week.

She has started in four of the last six games for the Redhawks and has notched double digits scoring in seven of the last eight games. 
 
Watkins tied a career-best 14 points for the third time this season, producing the feat against SIUE on Jan. 29. She previously notched 14 points at SIUE (Jan. 15) and against Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 26, 2021).
 
Watkins has played in 19 games and started in the first seven games of the 2021-22 season. Watkins has started 11 games. She is averaging 8.2 points, and 5.6 rebounds in 21.6 minutes.
 
She ranks second in OVC games with 2.8 offensive rebounds (33). Watkins is averaging 8.9 points per game in OVC play with 5.4 rebounds per game (13th).
  
TP Heating Up
Taelour Pruitt has registered double-figures scoring in three of the last four games to lead SEMO on the stats sheet.
 
Pruitt most recently led the Redhawks with 16 points at UT Martin on Feb. 3. She shot 4-for-8 from the field including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc with five rebounds and four steals. She was also 4-for-6 at the charity stripe.

She also paced the Redhawks with 18 points against SIUE on Jan. 29. Pruitt finished 7-for-18 from the field including 4-for-9 on triples in a team-high 39 minutes.

Stewart the Facilitator 
Johné Stewart has passed out a career-best six assists in two of the last three games.
 
Stewart most recently had six assists with four points at UT Martin on Feb. 3.

She tallied a career best six rebounds and six assists in her third career start as a Redhawk Jan. 29, 2022 against SIUE. 

Stewart has started in three of the last five games for the Redhawks.  
 
She made her first career start as a Redhawk on Jan. 13 against Tennessee Tech. Stewart finished with three points and three rebounds in 14 minutes of court time. She closed the week with a career-best 33 minutes at SIUE on Jan. 15.
 
Stewart, a transfer from Jacksonville, has played in 18 games this season. She is averaging 17.2 minutes of court time with 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Smith in the Starting 5
Halle Smith, a freshman forward from Belle, Missouri, has started in the 13 of the last 16 contests for the Redhawks.
 
Smith had 14 points and five rebounds to lead SEMO against Tennessee State on Jan. 20. She finished 50 percent shooting and notched a personal-best three blocks.
 
Smith registered a career-best 18 points Dec. 5 in the Redhawks win over Harris-Stowe State. Smith added 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 23 games in 2021-22 and is averaging 6.9 points and 4.4 boards in 21.3 minutes. She is shooting 48 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc.

First OVC Win in 2021-22
Four Redhawks finished in double-digits scoring as SEMO registered its first Ohio Valley Conference victory of the 2021-22 season, 60-53, over Morehead State (1-17, 0-8 OVC) Jan. 27, 2022 at the Show Me Center.
  
Taelour Pruitt paced SEMO with 15 points while Watson and Kennedi Watkins each had 12 points. Watson finished with a double-double, adding 10 boards while Watkins pulled down nine rebounds. Roshala Scott chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds in her first start back from injury since Jan. 6 at Belmont.
  
Pruitt, Watkins and Scott each had four steals as the Redhawks totaled a season high 17. SEMO cashed in 26 points off Morehead State turnovers Thursday.

Pruitt shot 5-for-11 and 4-for-4 on free throws with two assists.
 
Watson appeared in a game-high 38 minutes, going 5-for-14 from the field. Watkins finished 5-for-13 shooting for her fifth-straight double-digit game.
 
Patterson Eclipses 100 Career Wins
Head coach Rekha Patterson eclipsed the 100-win mark in her career at the helm of Southeast Missouri with a 60-53 victory over Morehead State on Jan. 27, 2022. In seven seasons at SEMO, Patterson has registered a record of 100-102.

Tomlin From Downtown
Kori Tomlin registered nine points, three assists, two steals and a rebound, coming off the bench against SIUE on Jan. 29.
 
Tomlin, a junior transfer from Moberly Area Community College, shot a career-best 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and finished 3-for-5 shooting.
 
Tomlin made her first career start as a Redhawk Dec. 9 against Purdue Fort Wayne and has started in seven of the last eight games for SEMO. She finished with a career-best four steals, four assists and three points against the Mastodons.
 
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 has played in all 23 games thus far this season and is averaging 3.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 22.8 minutes of court time. She is shooting 34 percent from the field and 33 percent from distance.
  
Let's Go, Dream!!
Michaela Mayfield tallied a career best nine points, going a personal-best 7-for-8 at the charity stripe against Tennessee State on Jan. 20. Mayfield also finished with two boards, two assists and a steal in 16 minutes of court time.
 
Mayfield, a sophomore from Gurdon, Arkansas, has played in 20 games in 2021-22 for the Redhawks. She is averaging 2.2 points with 2.7 rebounds in 10.7 minutes of action.
  
Where We Rank in the OVC
SEMO ranks third as a team in the conference with 816 rebounds (35.48rpg, fourth).

Deanay Watson leads the Redhawks with 133 (5.8rpg) followed by Kennedi Watkins (107, 5.6rpg).
 
Halle Smith (102) and Roshala Scott (74) are averaging 4.4 rebounds per game. Jaliyah Green has 64 (3.4rpg).

SEMO is fourth for steals (206, 9.0 steals/game), fifth for blocked shots (64, 2.8 blocks/game) and sixth for free throw attempts (243-for-357).
  
In OVC only play, SEMO is third for offensive rebounds (12.0, 144), third for three-point field goal defense (.315) and fourth for offensive rebound percentage (.344) and steals (9.9, 119).
      
Redhawks Add Mid-Year Transfer Forward Julia Sion
SEMO head coach Rekha Patterson announced Jan. 10 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 and is not eligible this season after playing at UNA in 2021-22.
 
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 hits the road to face Tennessee Tech and Morehead State Feb. 17 and Feb. 19. The Redhawks face TTU Thursday, Feb. 17 in Cookeville, Tennessee, before continuing their trip to Morehead, Kentucky, to take on Morehead State Saturday, Feb. 19.