GAME 14
Southern Indiana (11-4, 3-1 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (4-9, 2-2 OVC)
 
Game Information: 
Date: Thursday, January 9, 2025
Time: 5:15 p.m., CT. 
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
Venue: Show Me Center
Series: SEMO leads 12-4
 
Head Coaches: 
SEMO: Briley Palmer (4-9, 2-2 OVC | First Season)
USI: Rick Stein (459-265, 26-14 OVC | 26^th Season)
 
Follow the Redhawks: 
X: @OfficialSEMOWBB
Live Stats: SEMORedhawks.com
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean & Tom Schuberth)
Tickets

Game Notes (PDF)
Media Guide (PDF)
 
Redhawks Return to Show Me Center Thursday Versus Southern Indiana
Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (4-9, 2-2 OVC) returns to the Show Me Center on Thursday, January 9, to take on Southern Indiana (11-4, 3-1 OVC) to continue Ohio Valley Conference play. Tip-off is set for 5:15 p.m., CT. in Cape Girardeau. 
 
Series History
Another battle of the birds, the Redhawks and Screaming Eagles will meet for the 17^th time on Thursday evening. SEMO holds a 12-4 overall record against USI who are in their third season as a Division I institution. USI is on a two-game winning streak in the series as SEMO's last win came back on February 18, 2023, to the tune of a 63-59 victory in Cape Girardeau. 
 
Freshman of the Week
Guard Zoe Best took home Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week honors this week thanks to a big week last week. Best had an incredible three-game week last week to the tune of 21 points-per-game, 6.3 rebounds-per-game, plus 2.3 assists and steals over the last three contests. On the week, Zoe was 22-50 from the field for an overall shooting percentage of .440. She was 11-25 from three-point range (.440) and was a near-perfect 8-9 from the free throw line (.889). She finished with a week-high 23 points against UT Martin on Saturday just narrowly missing her career-high 25 points she set back during the season-opener (11/5). Best also helped distribute the ball to her teammates by dishing out seven assists, equating to 2.3 assists-per-game over the three-game stretch. 
 
Last Time Out
The Redhawks had a three-game winning streak snapped last Saturday at UT Martin by a final score of 85-69 in Martin, Tennessee. 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.
 
League Table
The Redhawks currently sit at 2-2 in the OVC which ties them for third place in the conference with UT Martin (2-2). Southern Indiana (3-1) is tied for second place with three other teams including Tennessee Tech, Lindenwood, and Little Rock. Eastern Illinois is in first place with a perfect 5-0 record in conference play. 
 
Eyeing 200
Guard Zoe Best is the leading scorer on the Redhawks, averaging 15.0 points-per-game through the first 13 games of the season. Best now has 195 points and is closing in on 200 points in just her first season as a Redhawk. She scored a career-high 25 points in the season opener at Dayton (11/5) and has 20+ points in three games this season. 
 
Scoring Offense
The Redhawks continue to raise their scoring offense after starting OVC play. SEMO currently averages 63.8 points-per-game and rank seventh in the league in scoring. Southern Indiana is the number one scoring offense in the league, scoring 72.8 points-per-game. 
 
Team Threes
SEMO has been no stranger to firing from behind the three-point line this season and currently rank fifth in the OVC in team three-point percentage. The Redhawks have attempted 303 three pointers, making 92, for a 30.4 three-point clip. With a minimum of 20 attempts, guard Zoe Best leads the squad with a .369 percentage from three. 
 
Off the Bench
The Redhawks have done a great job of utilizing their bench scoring over the course of the season to the tune of 19.2 points-per-game from the non-starters. SEMO currently ranks fourth in the conference and 181^st in Division I Women's Basketball. Guard Lexi McCully has been the leading scorer off the bench, having scored 7.4 PPG in the last five games off the bench. 
 
Defense Redhawks, Defense
SEMO's defense has been doing a good job of forcing turnovers from their opponents this season, averaging 20.62 turnovers-forced-per-game. SEMO ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference and 48^th in the nation in that category. Guard Indiya Bowen leads the squad with 30 steals this season, averaging 2.3 steals-per-game. She had a season-high five steals against Indiana State (11/30) earlier this season. 
 
The Center
Center Ainaya Williams has done a great job of manning the paint for the Redhawks, specifically coming off the bench since returning to the court. Williams ranks second overall in the OVC in blocks with 20 and ranks 79^th in the nation in that category. She also ranks first overall in the OVC in blocks-per-game with 2.0 and is 34^th in the country in blocks-per-game. 
 
Scouting the Opponent
Southern Indiana 
The Screaming Eagles come into Thursday's contest with an 11-4 overall record and sit in second place in the OVC with a 3-1 conference mark. USI is the number one scoring offense in the league, averaging 72.8 points-per-game while holding their opponents to just 59.7 PPG. 
 
As a team, USI is shooting 44.5-percent from the field led by Meredith Raley who is averaging 13.2 points-per-game. She has scored 198 points on the season in 15 games played. Following here is Ali Saunders and Vanessa Shafford who are averaging 11.8 and 11.7 points-per-game, respectively.
 
Shafford leads the Screaming Eagles in rebounding as well, hauling in 6.9 rebounds-per-game including an impressive 5.4 on the defensive end each night. 
 
The Screaming Eagles are led by head coach Rick Stein who is in his 26^th season at the helm of USI Basketball.