Game 9
Southeast Missouri (3-5, 0-0 OVC) at Tennessee Tech (7-2, 0-0 OVC) 
 
Game Information: 
Date: Thursday, December 18
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Venue: Eblen Center
Series: TTU leads 40-23
 
Head Coaches: 
SEMO: Briley Palmer (92-91 Overall | 9-30 at SEMO | 4-16 OVC)
TTU: Kim Rosamond (10^th Season)
 
Follow the Redhawks: 
X: @OfficialSEMOWBB
Live Stats: ttusports.com
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM or 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
 
Game Notes (PDF) 
Media Guide (PDF)
 
Redhawks Begin OVC Play Thursday at Tennessee Tech
Southeast Missouri (3-5, 0-0 OVC) will begin the 2025-26 Ohio Valley Conference portion of the schedule on Thursday, December 18, when they take on Tennessee Tech (7-2, 0-0 OVC) in Cookeville, Tenn. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. from the Eblen Center. 
 
Conference in December
The Redhawks will play a pair of conference matches before the Christmas holiday beginning on Thursday night. SEMO will then stay on the road in conference action on Saturday, December 20 when they take on Tennessee State in Nashville, Tennessee. The Redahwks will play just one more non-conference matchup before they play the remainder of OVC action. 
 
Series History 
Thursday's matchup will mark the 64^th meeting between the Redhawks and Golden Eagles on the hardwood dating all the way back to the 1992 season. TTU holds a 40-23 advantage over SEMO in women's basketball and are on an eight-game winning streak in the series. The Redhawks' last win came during the 2020-21 season in a season sweep of TTU, including the program's last win in Cookeville (79-70). 
 
Long Break
The Redhawks return to action after a 12-day hiatus following a 76-71 loss to Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Illinois. Graduate student Carmen Taylor led all scorers with 22 points in the contest, followed by Ainaya Williams with 17 points. The Redhawks led by a point after a big three-pointer from Lexi McCully, but free throws from SIU sealed the deal as the Redhawks fell in Carbondale.  
 
Welcome Back, 12
Senior guard Da'Kariya Jackson returned to action at Southern Illinois in her first action since the 2024-25 season. Jackson, who missed time due to injury, played 22 total minutes in the contest and was tied for the team lead in rebounds (7) and dumped in five points. She was a perfect 3-3 at the charity stripe and dished out a pair of assists in her first game since February 15, 2025. 
 
Paint Presence
Center Ainaya Williams made her presence felt in the contest at Southern Illinois. In a season-high 31 minutes, Williams tied her season-high of 17 points and hauled in seven boards. She scored all 17 of her points in the second half and marks the second-straight game with 17. She is averaging 11.6 PPG and 5.6 RPG through eight games. 
 
Make it 15
In the same contest, Williams recorded a pair of blocks. The blocks extended her streak to 15-straight games with a block dating back to the 2024-25 season. She is averaging 2.0 blocks per game and has 15 blocks this season. She ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference in blocks per game and has played in three less games than Abbie Boutilier of Eastern Illinois (21 blocks, 11 games). 
 
Sharp Shooter
Guard Carmen Taylor is the Redhawks' leading three-point shooter with a minimum of 20 attempts on the season. Taylor, a native of Memphis, Tenn., has nailed 22 three-pointers this season on 56 attempts for a 39.3 shooting-percentage. Against SIU, Taylor finished 3-8 from three-point land and extended her streak of making at least three, three-pointers in a game to five. She ranks second in the OVC in three-point field goal percentage trailing only Ellie Brueggemann of Lindenwood (42.0). 
 
Second Half
Through eight games this season, the Redhawks have scored 301 total points in the third and fourth quarter(s) and have held their opponents to just 294 points in the second half. SEMO has a +7-point differential in the second half, including scoring a season-high 49 points in the second half against Harris Stowe (12/3). 
 
Freshman Rebounder
In eight games this season, freshman Zoey Rixter has emerged as the Redhawks' leading rebounder. She has hauled in 48 total rebounds, including nine offensive and 49 defensive boards in 179 minutes of game time. She ranks 14^th in the OVC in rebounding and averages 6.0 RPG. 
 
Leading Scorer
Graduate guard Lexi McCully is the Redhawks' leading scorer heading into Ohio Valley Conference play. Through eight games, McCully has scored 229 points for the Redhawks and has started each game this season. She is averaging 15.1 PPG and ranks sixth in the league in scoring. She has made 45 total field goals, 16 three-pointers, and 15 free throws. McCully has scored double-digit points in seven-of-eight games in 2025-26. 
 
Point Guard
Raissa Nsabua has been the Redhawks best passer this season through the first eight games of the year. Nsabua is coming off a four-assist game last time out at Southern Illinois and has dished out 2+ assists in every game this season. Nsabua has 30 assists on the season in just seven games played, ranking her fourth in the OVC for assists. She is averaging 4.3 APG, trailing Marie Sepp of Morehead State (6.1) who leads the league. 
 
Defense Turns to Offense
The Redhawks have done a good job of earning extra possessions for the offense this season. Through eight games, SEMO has forced 146 total turnovers and has recorded 66 steals (8.3 SPG). Guards Carmen Taylor and Lexi McCully lead the Redhawks in steals with 13, averaging 1.6 SPG which ranks them tied for 14^th in the OVC. 
 
Top Three
Coming into the contest, SEMO Women's Basketball ranks in the top three in scoring offense this season. The Redhawks currently rank third in the league in scoring, averaging 70.3 PPG in two less games than Lindenwood (74.3) who are in front of them. Earlier this season, SEMO broke a program record of points in a game with 116 against Harris-Stowe (12/3). 
 
Two-Straight
Sophomore Kearra Jones has found double-digit points in two-straight contests including 10 points against Southern Illinois. The Redhawks' forward has scored 21 points combined in the previous two games, averaging 10.5 PPG coming off the bench. On the season, Jones is averaging 7.0 PPG and hauled in a career-high 15 rebounds against Harris-Stowe (12/3). 
 
Up to Fourth
The Redhawks have done a better job at rebounding the basketball following the beginning of the season. SEMO has climbed up to fourth place in the OVC in team defensive rebounds, hauling in 218 defensive boards. The Redhawks average 27.3 DRPG and trail first place Southern Indiana (27.6) by just 0.5 RPG.