CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Interstat) — The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks delivered a dominant wire-to-wire performance, avenging an earlier season loss by overwhelming the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 83-61 in an Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at the Show Me Center.

The Redhawks, improving to 12-17 overall, seized control from the opening tip and never relented, building a 19-8 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 43-22 by halftime. The Golden Eagles, who entered the contest with a 71.5% win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, fell to 15-13 and saw a two-game winning streak snapped.

The most important part of the game was Southeast Missouri State’s blistering start, which effectively decided the contest within the first ten minutes. The Redhawks opened the game on a 12-0 run before Tennessee Tech managed its first field goal, a layup by LaReesha Cawthorn with 5:37 remaining in the first quarter. During that opening stretch, the Golden Eagles missed their first nine shot attempts and committed three turnovers, while Southeast Missouri State’s Carmen Taylor and Kearra Jones combined for 10 early points. This initial surge established a tone of defensive pressure and offensive efficiency that Tennessee Tech could never counter, setting the stage for the lopsided result.

Southeast Missouri State’s offensive execution was clinical. The Redhawks shot 53.6% from the field, converting 30 of 56 attempts, and were an efficient 5 of 13 from three-point range. They also capitalized at the free-throw line, making 18 of 23. In contrast, Tennessee Tech struggled mightily with its shooting touch all afternoon, finishing at 31.3% on 21-of-67 shooting. The Golden Eagles were particularly cold from beyond the arc, hitting just 6 of 27 three-point attempts.

The Redhawks’ offensive rating of 118.7 points per 100 possessions dwarfed the Golden Eagles’ mark of 81.2, underscoring the vast efficiency gap. Southeast Missouri State also won the battle in the paint and in transition, outscoring Tennessee Tech and converting 16 Golden Eagle turnovers into points.

Carmen Taylor led all scorers with 22 points for Southeast Missouri State, adding a steal in 36 minutes of action. Kearra Jones provided a major spark off the bench, contributing 16 points, a block and a steal in just 21 minutes. Raissa Nsabua orchestrated the offense with a well-rounded line of 12 points, five assists and a block. Lexi McCully also reached double figures with 10 points.

For Tennessee Tech, Reghan Grimes led the way with 13 points, three assists and a block. LaReesha Cawthorn posted 10 points and two blocks, while Maddy Newman added eight points off the bench. The Golden Eagles’ leading scorers were hampered by the team’s overall shooting woes and an inability to string together stops against the Redhawks’ consistent attack.

After the decisive first quarter, Southeast Missouri State maintained its intensity in the second, outscoring Tennessee Tech 24-14 to take a 21-point lead into the break. The Golden Eagles showed brief signs of life with a 26-point fourth quarter, but the deficit was far too large to overcome, as the Redhawks matched them with 20 points in the final period to close out the victory.

The win splits the season series after Tennessee Tech won the first meeting 79-66 in Cookeville on Dec. 18. An announced crowd of 889 watched at the Show Me Center as Southeast Missouri State snapped a two-game skid in the head-to-head series.

Both teams conclude their regular seasons next week before heading to the OVC tournament. The game highlighted Southeast Missouri State’s potential when its offense is clicking, while Tennessee Tech will look to regain its shooting form and defensive cohesion after a performance well below its recent standard.