CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Interstat) — The Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball team used a dominant first quarter and a decisive advantage at the free-throw line to secure a 67-57 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock in an NCAA Division I game on Thursday night at the Show Me Center.

The Redhawks, who improved to 7-12, built a 20-13 lead after the opening period and never trailed, holding off several pushes from the Trojans, who fell to 9-10. The game was largely decided at the charity stripe, where Southeast Missouri State converted 23 of 29 attempts while Arkansas-Little Rock managed just 16 of 24.

The most critical sequence of the contest came late in the fourth quarter with the outcome still in doubt. After Arkansas-Little Rock’s Jordan Holman converted a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 56-53 with just over six minutes remaining, the Redhawks responded with a 7-0 run to seize control. Da’Kariya Jackson hit a crucial three-pointer, assisted by Raissa Nsabua, and after a pair of Holman free throws, Southeast Missouri State got four consecutive points from the line. Madison Ayers made two free throws and Kearra Jones added two more, pushing the lead to 60-53 with 4:10 to play. The Trojans could not mount another sustained threat, getting no closer than five points the rest of the way.

Lexi McCully led all scorers with 18 points for Southeast Missouri State, providing consistent offense throughout the night. Raissa Nsabua, a 5-foot-10 guard from Ottawa, Canada, added 12 points and four assists, while Kearra Jones of Madison, Wisconsin, contributed 11 points and two blocks. Carmen Taylor also scored 12 points for the Redhawks.

For Arkansas-Little Rock, Jordan Holman of Hugo, Oklahoma, paced the team with 14 points. Brenna Burk, a 5-7 guard from Russellville, Arkansas, logged a team-high 37 minutes and finished with 13 points and three assists. Destinee Salgado added nine points.

The game was characterized by sloppy play, with the teams combining for 29 turnovers. Arkansas-Little Rock struggled offensively, shooting just 34 percent from the field and posting an offensive rating of 79.8 points per 100 possessions. Southeast Missouri State was more efficient, shooting 40 percent with an offensive rating of 96.0, but was hampered by 14 turnovers of its own.

The Redhawks set the tone early, opening the game on a 13-2 run fueled by defensive pressure and transition opportunities. Arkansas-Little Rock settled in and chipped away, trailing 30-27 at halftime after closing the second quarter on a 7-2 spurt. The Trojans stayed within striking distance for much of the second half but could never string together enough stops and scores to overtake the home team.

Southeast Missouri State won despite being out-assisted 8-5 and committing more turnovers. The Redhawks’ ability to draw fouls and convert at the line, where they outscored the Trojans by seven points, proved to be the ultimate difference.

The result defied the pregame projections from Interstat’s ELO system, which gave Arkansas-Little Rock a 76.3 percent probability of winning.

Arkansas-Little Rock continues its road trip at Tennessee-Martin on Saturday. Southeast Missouri State travels to face Western Illinois next Thursday.