SEMO upsets Eastern Illinois to pick up important win

The SEMO Redhawks got a much-needed 62-57 home win over the Eastern Illinois Panthers (20-5) on Thursday at the Show Me Center.

Sophomore Jaliyah Green led the way with a 21-point effort, including a pair of clutch free throws to seal the win for the Redhawks.

“I just knew we needed a bucket,” Green said. “I’ve been working on taking my time with my free throws because everyone says I rush them.”

The Redhawks got off to a hot start from three as they buried their first four triples, two of them from Rahmena Henderson, and held an 18-17 lead after the first quarter.

“Rahmena Henderson provides a lot of confidence with her ability to make shots,” Redhawks coach Rekha Patterson said. “Confidence is contagious and so when she gets going they all feel pretty good. I think we shot it in rhythm and had good looks today.”

SEMO was able to extend their lead to four as they entered the locker room at halftime leading 36-32.

As the game progressed the Redhawks switched up their defense to throw different looks at the Panthers.

“(Coach) was just calling out sets on the fly as we were coming down,” Green said. “We had to keep them on their toes.”

Patterson said the goal of switching sets was to try and break the rhythm of Eastern Illinois.

“Eastern Illinois is a rhythm team,” Patterson said. “If they get in rhythm then they can have you running all over the place and then you can forget your principles, so we wanted to try and keep them off balance as much as possible.”

Down the stretch, the Redhawks led by as many as 9 in the fourth but the Panthers would storm back and take a 1-point lead late, but the Redhawks never wavered and were able to come out victorious.

“We know every game is going to be a close ballgame in the fourth quarter,” Patterson said. “We just have to take it a possession at a time, stay focused and stay consistent with our game plan.”

The win over Eastern Illinois pushed the Redhawks closer to locking up a spot in the 2023 OVC Tournament that begins on March 1 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

“It’s hard to make the tournament and I never took it for granted,” Patterson said. “I definitely missed it when we didn’t go last year. I want these kids to know what playing March is, what it feels like, what it sounds like and how the food tastes different. I want them to experience that.”

Backing up Green’s 21-point night was Henderson with 12 points, Kennedi Watkins with 12 points, Kiyley Flowers with 9 points, Sophie Bussard and Kori Tomlin with 3 points and Chandler Davis had 2 points.

SEMO (12-14) will be back in action at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 when the Redhawks host Southern Indiana at the Show Me Center.