Redhawk women roll Red Wolves from opening tip
The Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball program wasted little time in showing its dominance at Arkansas State Wednesday.
The Redhawks scored eight of the game’s initial nine points and eventually led by as many as 16 points in the first quarter before prevailing in Jonesboro, Ark. 79-67.
The win was the third in as many games for Southeast, each by double digits.
The Redhawks limited the Red Wolves (1-2) to 36 percent shooting and crushed the hosts on the glass 52-38.
Arkansas State battled back with a 23-20 advantage in the second quarter, but the Redhawks still led 40-29 at halftime.
The Red Wolves trimmed their deficit to single digits several times, the last being with 5:02 remaining in the game, but Redhawk senior Jessie Harshberger scored to start a 6-0 run and Southeast never looked back.
Southeast forward Tesia Thompson hit 9 of 16 shots and 8 of 12 from the free-throw line to pace the Redhawks with 26 points.
She also added seven boards, while Harshberger hit 9 of 11 shots for 21 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Carrie Shepherd sank four 3-points en route to 19 points to go with her six assists and four rebounds, while Taelour Pruitt added nine boards and five assists in the win.
Daneisha Gardner also pulled down nine rebounds for Southeast, while Latrese Saine (seven rebounds) and Roshala Scott (six rebounds) also contributed.
Southeast will travel to Eastern Michigan on Tuesday at 6 p.m. (Central time).
Building the future
The Redhawks added five new players to the program Wednesday on National Signing Day.
Southeast got signed commitments from Shymaryia Christopher (5-foot-6, guard, Cabot, Ark.), Chandler Davis (5-5, point guard, Alpharetta, Georgia), Briana Johns (wing, Alexandria, Va.), Michaela Mayfield (forward, Gurdon, Ark.), and Ambrea Phillips-Gentle (6-2, center, Evanston, Ill.).
“They are a group of hard-working kids that want to continue to add to a program that the Redhawk fans and community can be proud to watch and support,” Southeast coach Rekha Patterson said in a release.