RICHMOND, Ky. – Ashley Cazee’s three-pointer with 5:33 left in the game gave Eastern Kentucky a one-point lead but the Lady Colonels only scored three points the rest of the way and Ohio Valley Conference leader Southeast Missouri State escaped with a 72-67 win Saturday at McBrayer Arena. EKU (11-9, 6-7 OVC) shot 48 percent for the game but committed 19 turnovers.

Niki Avery finished with 17 points to lead the Lady Colonels. Cazee scored 15 and grabbed five rebounds. LaTanya Stokes contributed 12 points and a team-high six rebounds.

Sonya Daugherty led SEMO (17-6, 12-2 OVC) with a game-high 18 points. Crysta Glenn posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Tarina Nixon had 14 points and dished out six assists.

Southeast scored the first five points of the second half to go in front by 12, 44-32. However, a 9-0 EKU run got the Lady Colonels back in the game. Shavonne Jones scored a basket and then Stokes scored four straight, including a three-pointer. A three-pointer by Avery capped the run and made it a 44-41 game with 15:20 left to play.

Eastern remained within striking distance, never trailing by more than eight points. After Daugherty’s lay-up gave the Redhawks a five-point cushion with 6:31 showing on the clock, the EKU strike came. Avery and Cazee knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to turn the five-point deficit into a 64-63 lead with 5:33 remaining the in the game.

Eastern had opportunities to take control of the game, but the Lady Colonels missed two shots and turned it over twice over the next two minutes. One of the missed shots was an open look by Cazee from the left corner that just missed giving EKU a four-point lead.

A lay-up by Daugherty with 4:18 to go gave SEMO the lead for good. After the back-to-back three-pointers by Avery and Cazee, Eastern Kentucky didn’t score again until Crystal Jones made a trey with 19 seconds remaining. That cut it to three, 70-67, but Southeast Missouri made two free throws to secure the win.

The Redhawks shot 41.9 percent (26-of-62) for the game and only turned the ball over 10 times.

Southeast Missouri scored the game’s first six points. Avery cut the lead in half with her first of five three-pointers in the game but Glenn answered with a three for a 9-3 Redhawk lead. Avery keyed a 10-0 run to put the Lady Colonels on top. Avery hit another three to make it a 9-8 game and then turned a steal into a lay-up to give EKU its first lead at 10-9. Crystal Jones’ lay-up and free throw had Eastern in front 13-9 with 14:39 remaining in the opening half.

Tierra Johnson’s three-pointer put SEMO up 19-17 and began a 10-2 Redhawk run. Glenn’s two free throws capped it off and extended the visitors’ lead to seven, 26-19, with 8:54 before halftime.

After Eastern Kentucky closed to within four, the Redhawks rolled off six straight points to take a double-digit lead for the first time, 32-22. A jumper by Cazee with 1:31 to go before intermission proved to be the final points of the first half and sent the Lady Colonels to the locker room trailing 39-32.

EKU will hit the road for a game Thursday at Jacksonville State. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.