Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team falls to Ole Miss

Mississippi threatened to knock out the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team in the first several minutes Monday night.

But if there is one thing first-year coach Ty Margenthaler has liked about the Redhawks so far, it's their toughness.

That trait was on display Monday night at the Show Me Center when the Redhawks made Mississippi work harder than it probably anticipated during a 51-43 victory.

"We're going to fight every possession," Margenthaler said. "One thing this basketball team will do is compete until the end. I hope our fans appreciate that."

Southeast, which was playing its home opener and hosting a Southeastern Conference opponent for the first time, fell to 0-4.

The Rebels, who finished last in the SEC a year ago, improved to 3-1.

"It was a good game. I think we've been playing really hard, playing together," Southeast junior forward Brittany Harriel said. "We fought. But it's still an 'L.' It's frustrating."

Margenthaler not only inherited a struggling program, but his first schedule with the Redhawks is a bear, especially early.

That's why Margenthaler is evaluating the Redhawks on more than wins and losses right now.

And that's why Margenthaler was pleased with many aspects of Monday's contest that saw Southeast fall behind 10-0 and trail 18-5 midway through the first half.

Southeast played the Rebels extremely tough the rest of the way, cutting the deficit to 20-16 at halftime and trailing by just two points three times early in the final period.

"I'm extremely proud of our players' effort. They laid it on the line," Margenthaler said. "We played a really nice Ole Miss team. I feel if we keep battling, the wins will come."

Margenthaler was pleased most with Southeast's defense and rebounding.

Mississippi shot just 35.7 percent even though the Rebels came out hot by hitting nine of their first 18 attempts. They went 11 of 38 the rest of the way.

Southeast battled the bigger, more physical Rebels to a 40-40 standoff on the boards. The Redhawks had been outrebounded by an average of 13 in their first three games.

"Our defense is getting better," Margenthaler said. "We've struggled rebounding. That's a huge improvement."

But offense continued to be hard to find, which is something that has plagued the Redhawks during the past two years.

Southeast shot 28.3 percent and missed all eight of its 3-point attempts. The Redhawks are averaging 42.8 points and shooting 29.5 percent, including 16.7 percent on 3-pointers.

"We struggled a little tonight, not scoring as many points as we could have," Southeast junior center Courtney Shiffer said. "But we'll keep working to get better at it."

Shiffer scored a season-high 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds as she battled Nikki Byrd, the Rebels' imposing 6-foot-4 senior center, much of the night.

Byrd had a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, but 10 of her points came early in the game.

"She's blue collar. She works her tail off," Margenthaler said about the 6-1 Shiffer.

Harriel had a season-high 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds. She added three assists and two steals.

Junior forward Bailie Roberts had 10 points -- all in the second half -- seven rebounds and three assists.

Shiffer, Harriel and Roberts combined for all but nine of Southeast's points. They had 24 of the Redhawks' 27 points after halftime.

"I was happy having three players in double figures," Margenthaler said.

The Redhawks went scoreless for the first 5 minutes, 18 seconds to fall behind 10-0. It soon was 18-5.

Shiffer's three-point play with 1:11 left before halftime capped an 11-2 run to help Southeast climb within 20-16 at the break.

Southeast cut the deficit to 20-18, 22-20 and 26-24 but never could catch up.

Another scoring drought, this time nearly six minutes, saw Mississippi go on a 10-0 burst and open a 36-24 lead.

"We let them get those two runs in the first half and second half," Shiffer said. "But we did a good job of fighting back."

The Redhawks had one more run, this time scoring six consecutive points to make it 36-30. They got no closer.

Mississippi matched its biggest advantage at 45-32 and iced the victory from the free-throw line.

"I think our defense has come such a long way," Harriel said. "We just have to find a way to get people open and score."

Margenthaler believes it's only a matter of time before that begins happening on a consistent basis.

"I feel like we can be a good offensive team," Margenthaler said. "We need to get it in the mid-60s. If we can do that, with our defense, we'll be in good shape."

Sophomore point guard Valencia McFarland added 13 points for the Rebels, all in the second half. She also had six steals.

Southeast had 22 turnovers compared to 18 for the Rebels.

The Redhawks return to action Friday when they face host Alabama-Birmingham in the UAB Thanksgiving Classic. Southeast plays Samford the following day.