Hot first half carries Southeast women to road victory

~ The Redhawks held off the Gamecocks down the stretch

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team played an almost flawless first half Thursday night.

The second half was a struggle for the visiting Redhawks, but they were able to hold off Jacksonville State 52-47.

"The first half was very intense. We just have to keep it that way for 40 minutes," freshman forward Patricia Mack said. "The second half we could have done better, but we pulled it through."

Southeast, which led 33-20 at the break, improved to 7-12 overall and 4-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Redhawks moved up one spot, into a tie for sixth place in the 10-team OVC.

JSU, which lost to Southeast 56-53 on Jan. 4 in Cape Girardeau, fell to 6-14 and 3-7. The Gamecocks had been tied with the Redhawks for seventh place.

"It's hard to win on the road," Southeast coach John Ishee said. "Any time you can win on the road and you're scratching and clawing to make the conference tournament ... it's a huge win."

Southeast won for the first time playing without its top three scorers, who are out with injuries.

Leading scorer Jasmine Davis and third-leading scorer Lauren Sharpe have missed the past six games.

Davis, a freshman guard, is out for the season with a knee injury. Sharpe, a junior wing, also likely is out for the rest of the campaign with back problems.

Missing the past three games has been freshman forward Bailie Roberts, Southeast's No. 2 scorer and top 3-point shooter, who has a foot injury. Ishee hopes to have her back next week.

"That was nice," Mack said of prevailing without the three key players.

The Redhawks have struggled offensively without their top scorers, averaging about 48 points over the past six games.

Southeast didn't top that by much against JSU, but the Redhawks were hot with their shooting in the first half.

The Redhawks, among the OVC's worst shooting teams on the season, shot 44.4 percent from the field during the opening 20 minutes and made 5 of 9 3-pointers for a sizzling 55.6 percent.

Southeast also had only six first-half turnovers while holding JSU to 23.1 percent from the field.

"We played extremely well the first half. We executed to perfection," Ishee said. "We didn't play as well the second half, but you have to credit Jacksonville State. They're athletic."

Southeast shot just 28 percent in the final period -- finishing at 36.5 percent for the night -- and made 1 of 8 from beyond the arc (12.5 percent).

The Redhawks also had nine second-half turnovers, although their final tally of 15 was more than three below their season average.

Southeast's defense, however, stayed strong as JSU shot only 31.8 percent in the second half and 27.1 for the game.

"In the first half, we communicated better than we have been. They came after us in the second half and we didn't adjust," freshman wing Katie Norman said. "But it's definitely good to get a win on the road, especially after we lost the last two at home."

Mack scored all 12 of her points and grabbed all eight of her rebounds during an impressive first half that saw her make 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

Mack, who tied the high point total of her first Southeast season, finished with four assists, two steals and a key block in the final minute.

"She's getting better and better," Ishee said.

Norman scored 11 points, the top output of her rookie college season.

Center Lesley Adams, Southeast's lone senior, added 10 points. Eight came in the second half after she played just six first-half minutes due to foul trouble and a quadriceps strain that was giving her problems.

"My quad is messed up," Adams said. "Sitting the first half helped me a little."

Sophomore point guard Bianca Beck grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds to go with seven points.

Freshman guard Shelah Fields contributed six first-half points by hitting 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.

"A lot of people stepped up," Adams said.

JSU led only twice all night, the last time being 16-15 with 9 minutes, 22 seconds left before halftime.

Southeast took control by closing the period with an 18-4 burst to build its 33-20 advantage at the intermission.

JSU made a few mild runs, but Southeast still appeared to be in great shape, ahead 48-38 with less than five minutes remaining.

The Gamecocks made a final push that saw them cut the deficit to 49-47 with 26 seconds to play.

Beck, who seconds earlier had missed the front end of a 1-and-1, this time made both ends with 21 seconds left for a 51-47 lead.

"That was huge for Bianca to step up and make two free throws after she had missed one," Ishee said.

JSU didn't score again and Adams hit 1 of 2 foul shots with 4.6 seconds left to close out the victory.

"It seems like we can't come out as intense for the second half as we do the first half," Adams said. "But when we win, it's always a good thing."

Southeast concludes its two-game road trip Saturday at Tennessee Tech (8-12, 3-7). The Redhawks beat Tech 61-56 on Jan. 2 in Cape.