Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team pockets another road win at Lipscomb

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team concluded its six-game road trip the same way it started -- with a win.

The Redhawks improved to 6-4 in coach Rekha Patterson's first season at the helm with an 84-69 defeat of Lipscomb University in Nashville on Tuesday night.

"Lipscomb is a really good basketball program and a very good team that's hard to guard because they can do so many things," Patterson said in a press release. "I think our ladies executed the game plan and we had players step up, knock down some shots, and score and rebound for us. I am very happy with this win."

Southeast faced a 12-6 deficit with 4 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The Redhawks went on a 19-3 run over the remainder of the period to take a 25-15 lead to the second. Sophomore guard Hannah Noe hit three 3-pointers in that stretch.

Her second make from beyond the arc put Southeast ahead for good at 16-15 with 2:00 left in the first.

The Bisons scored the first seven points of the second to pull within three, and the Redhawks led just 38-35 with 1:31 before halftime before a jumper by junior guard Bri Mitchell and Noe's fourth trey in the closing seconds of the half gave Southeast a 45-35 advantage going into the break.

Lipscomb started the second half with a 15-6 run that pulled the Bisons within a point at 51-50 with 5:04 on the clock, but they never got any closer.

Southeast held a 61-54 lead after three and pulled away in the fourth.

Five Redhawks scored in double figures for Southeast, which shot 51.5 percent from the floor and made 5 of 16 3-point attempts.

Sophomore forward Deja Jones, a Nashville native who turned 20 on Tuesday, led the Redhawks with 19 points and 10 rebounds. It was her first career double-double.

"Can it be her birthday every day? Can we play in Nashville every night," Patterson said with a laugh. "I am so happy she got to have the performance she had in front of her family this evening."

Redshirt freshman forward Imani Johnson had 18 points and nine rebounds, Mitchell had 12 points, four rebounds and five assists, and senior forward Erin Bollmann had 11 points, four rebounds, a block and two steals.

Noe had 15 points and knocked down all of Southeast's 3-point attempts, finishing 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. She also had four assists.

Freshman guard Adrianna Murphy had seven points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals.

The Redhawks outscored Lipscomb 46-26 in the paint.

"Nobody tried to do something they weren't capable of doing tonight, which is what I like to see out of our players," Patterson said. "We felt like we could get some paint points, and Deja did a great job of that in this game. We played well in the post, but I was also pleased with our performance from the perimeter as well."

Southeast hosts Central Arkansas at 2 p.m. Sunday. There will be a free youth clinic for kids in sixth grade or below following the game, and kids under the age of 14 receive free admission to the game.