NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (4-8, 2-1 OVC) picked up its first road victory of the season on Thursday evening with a 75-68 victory over Tennessee State (4-9, 0-3 OVC) from the Gentry Center. 
 
Guard Indiya Bowen recorded a career-high 25 points in the contest on 9-for-17 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Bowen surpassed her previous record of 20 set in 2023-24. 
 
Bowen was one-of-three Redhawks to finish in double figures, Zoe Best chipped in 18 and Lexi McCully finished with an additional 13 points. As a team, SEMO finished 26-for-62 from the field (41.9) and 8-22 from three (36.4). 
 
SEMO had a stagger advantage at the free throw line, outshooting the home team by nearly 20-percent, 78.9 to 58.5. The Redhawks also turned it up on the defensive end converting 28 forced turnovers into 20 points. 
 
Zoe Best opened the scoring for both teams on the Redhawks' first possession of the contest with a knockdown three pointer in the left corner. Indiya Bowen scored the next basket as SEMO opened the contest on a 5-0 run. 
 
A 6-0 run from TSU would give them their first lead of the contest before the Lexi McCully took the ball coast-to-coast and floated it over the TSU defender to regain a one-point advantage. 
 
McCully's floater sparked a 13-2 run over the next two minutes of action as Best recorded a pair of free throws, another three pointer to make it 12-6 Redhawks. 
 
After a TSU layup from Lyric Cole, Ainaya Williams would score six points in a row to make it 18-8 SEMO with just over four minutes to play.
 
A McCully three-pointer would be the final basket of the opening quarter for SEMO, this one from the left wing to put SEMO up 10 (21-11).
 
TSU would close the quarter on a 5-0 run to cut it to 21-16 after the first quarter. 
 
Best would open the scoring again in the second quarter and was then followed by a McCully jumper to make it 25-16 to begin the second 10-minutes.
 
With 3:14 left before halftime, TSU would cut it to their smallest margin since the first quarter with an Erin Martin jumper to make it 30-27 Redhawks. 
 
That was the final basket for the Tigers as Indiya Bowen closed the half on a 10-0 run by herself, including a pair of three-pointers, over the final 2:53 before halftime. The Redhawks led 40-27 at the break. 
 
Best and Bowen led the Redhawks at half in scoring with 13 and 12 points, respectively. As a team, SEMO shot an impressive 47-percent from the field (15-32) and an even more impressive 50-percent (6-12) from three-point land. 
 
SEMO forced 18 first half TSU turnovers and turned them into 20 points. The Redhawks defense stifled TSU into shooting just 34.8-percent (8-23) from the field, and just 9.1-percent (1-11) from three. 
 
The third quarter allowed TSU back into the game with a 23-14 advantage in the third stanza thanks to a 61.5-percent to 28.6-percent shooting advantage. 
 
SEMO fell cold in the quarter, hitting just one three pointer (1-5), but managed to stay in front at the free throw line with a 5-for-6 performance in the third, compared to just 6-10 from TSU. 
 
At the end of the third quarter, the Redhawks led 54-52. Indiya Bowen opened the fourth quarter scoring with a three-pointer to extend SEMO's lead back out to five and from there the Redhawks controlled the rest of the way. 
 
Looking Ahead
SEMO Women's Basketball will return to action on Saturday, January 4, when they take on UT Martin. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m., CT. in Martin, Tenn.