Semoball

Southeast Missouri State women's basketball collects first win

TYLER GRAEF ~ tgraef@semissourian.com

Southeast guard Iyanna McCurdy (21) drives around a Western Illinois defender with help from forward Jocelyn Taylor (23) during the Redhawks home opener at the Show Me Center Tuesday.

Sophomore Tesia Thompson posted game-high totals of 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team notched its first win of the season, an 81-71 victory over Western Illinois on Tuesday at the Show Me Center.

Adrianna Murphy added 20 points for the Redhawks, who improved to 1-3 on the season.

The visiting Leathernecks (1-5) started off fast, scoring the game's first 10 points before Thompson started a 16-0 burst by the Redhawks with a jumper with 7 minutes, 25 seconds left in the first quarter. Thompson had eight points in the run, including a 3-pointer at the 4:06 mark that put the Redhawks up 16-10.

The Redhawks took a 20-14 advantage into the second quarter. While the Leathernecks tied the score three times in the period, they never took the lead. With the score tied 32-32, Southeast's Taelour Pruitt connected on a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left for a 35-32 halftime advantage.

The Redhawks never relinquished the lead in the second half as the Redhawks' Carrie Shephard opened the third quarter with a pair of 3-point field goals in an 8-0 run. Southeast out-scored Western Illinois 31-15 in the period to open a 19-point lead, 66-47.

The Redhawks connected on 10 of 31 3-point shot attempts in the game, including 6 of 11 in the second half.

Shephard and Pruitt finished with 16 and 10 points, respectively, as four Redhawks finished in double figures.

Taylor Higginbotham led the Leathernecks (1-5) with 18 points and nine rebounds.

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