MARTIN, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (4-9, 2-2 OVC) fell to UT Martin (5-10, 2-2 OVC) by a final score of 85-69 on Saturday afternoon from the Elam Center. 
 
Zoe Best led the Redhawks in scoring with 23 points on 8-21 shooting, including 4-10 from three-point range and a near-perfect 3-for-4 at the charity stripe. Best was one-of-three Redhawks who finished in double figures. 
 
Skylar Barnes and Ainaya Williams scored 14 and 13 points, respectively to round out the top scorers for the Redhawks. 

SEMO's defense forced UTM into 17 turnovers as a team as the Redhawks converted them into 11 points. The Redhawks recorded seven steals as a team, four of them coming from Indiya Bowen. 
 
The Skyhawks opened the game on a 7-0 run forcing the Redhawks into an early timeout with 8:06 left in the opening quarter. 
 
After two minutes elapsed, Zoe Best got the Redhawks on the board with one-of-her-two first half three pointers to make it 7-3 UTM with 6:31 left to go in the first. 
 
Another Best three-pointer, this one coming on a second-chance opportunity, got the Redhawks to within three points with 6:00 left. 
 
The teams would trade baskets after Bests' three as Martin drained a three-pointer, Ainaya Williams made a wide-open layup for SEMO, and a pair of UTM free throws made it 14-8 UTM. 
 
Lexi McCully got on the scoreboard by knocking in a three-pointer of her own to get SEMO back to within three points. McCully's three would spark a 5-0 SEMO run capped off by a fastbreak layup made by Skylar Barnes. 
 
After UTM's Anaya Brown split a pair of free throws, Indiya Bowen made a nice move in the lane to tie the game for the first time since the jump ball. With 1:07 left it was 15 a side. 
 
UTM's Shae Littleford broke the tie with 22 seconds left to make it UTM 17-15 at the end of the first. 
 
Free throws opened the second quarter as UTM's Anaya Brown and SEMO's Lexi McCully each went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe to make it 19-17 with 7:53 left before halftime. 
 
McCully drained another three to get the Redhawks back to within four points with 5:01 left, but back-to-back UTM three's forced SEMO into a timeout as they trailed 32-22 a minute later. 
 
Jariyah Williamson halted a Redhawks scoring draught with a big three to get SEMO back to within eight points. SEMO closed the half with three-striaght free throws, one from Best and a pair from Bowen and trailed 35-28 at the end of the first half. 
 
Zoe Best led the Redhawks in scoring at the half with nine points, followed by McCully with eight points. As a team, SEMO was shooting 33.3-percent from both the field and three-point range. 
 
Skylar Barnes opened the scoring in the second half for the Redhawks with 9:16 left to get SEMO back to within five points. 
 
A quick 4-0 UTM run was answered with a 4-0 run by the Redhawks as Barnes and Ainaya Williams scored back-to-back possessions keeping SEMO within five points. 
 
Williams continued her scoring ways with a beautiful turnaround jump shot just outside of the lane before converting an old-fashioned three-point play sparking a 9-0 SEMO run to tie it at 47 with 2:01 left in the third. 
 
Zoe Best would tie the game again at 49 with a beautiful offensive rebound and conversion with just over one minute left in the quarter.
 
The Redhawks got behind by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter and could not catch back up as the Skyhawks held on for a 85-69 victory at the Elam Center. 
 
Looking Ahead
SEMO Women's Basketball will be back in action on Thursday, January 9, when they take on Southern Indiana. Tip-off is set for 5:15 p.m. at the Show Me Center.