Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky lost to Southeast Missouri State, 64-57, on Thursday evening. Freshman Marie Carpenter led the Lady Colonels with a career-best 29 points. Brittany Harriel scored a team-high 23 points for the Redhawks.

Southeast Missouri (8-15, 4-9 OVC) led wire-to-wire. Eastern (6-17, 3-11 OVC) battled back from a 12-point first half deficit to get within in one early in the second half, but never got over the hump.

The Redhawks scored the first five points of the game and led 12-1 five and a half minutes into the contest. The Lady Colonels made just one of their first 11 shots from the field and didn’t register their second field goal until the 9:42 mark. More than six minutes clicked off the clock before EKU connected on its third field goal.

Eastern finished the first half 4-for-19 from the field (21 percent). Southeast Missouri shot 43 percent (13-for-30) but had just a 10-point lead at the break due in large part to getting out-scored at the free throw line by nine.

The teams reversed roles to start the second half. The Redhawks failed to score in the first five and a half minutes as EKU rolled off nine straight to get within one, 30-29. Two big three-pointers by Erika Lane helped SEMO keep the Lady Colonels at bay. Her first doubled the visitor’s margin to six, 37-31, and her second made it a seven-point game, 40-33, with 12:04 left to play.

Eastern Kentucky improved to 42 percent shooting in the second half and shot 35 percent for the game. Sophomore Brittany Coles grabbed a team-high nine rebounds but made just 1-of-11 shots from the field. The OVC leader in three-point field goal percentage was 0-for-6 from long distance.

Southeast shot 44 percent for the game, including 35 percent (7-for-20) from three-point range. Lane finished with 17 points for the visitors.

The Lady Colonels will be back in action again on Saturday when they play host to Eastern Illinois. The two teams will tip-off at 4 p.m.