Box Score (PDF)

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Lay-ups by Michaela Hunter and Mariah Massengill in the final 30 seconds helped the Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team hold on for a 57-54 win at Southeast Missouri State on Saturday at the Show Me Center.
 
The Colonels (6-7, 1-2 OVC) led by seven, 47-40, after a Massengill jumper with 7:18 left in the game.  The Redhawks (7-10, 0-4 OVC) answered with a 14-6 run to take their first lead since the opening minute of the game.
 
Erin Bollmann's basket with 39 seconds remaining put SEMO in front 54-53.  On EKU's ensuing possession, Hunter drove to the basket and converted to swing the lead back to EKU with 28.3 seconds to go. 
 
Southeast went to the free throw line with 10 seconds on the clock and a chance to take the lead.  However, both free throws missed and Massengill scored off a long pass following the defensive rebound.
 
SEMO had 5.2 seconds left to try to tie, but did not get off a shot.
 
Alexus Cooper hit three three-pointers and led Eastern Kentucky with a career-high 12 points.  Massengill finished with 11 and Jasmine Henshaw matched a career-high 10 points.
 
EKU knocked down 7-of-13 shots from the field to start the game.  After the Redhawks scored the first basket, Eastern rolled off nine straight.  Cooper hit a three-pointer from the left wing and a lay-up to fuel the early run.  A turnaround jumper by Henshaw and a lay-up from Nicole Bowers put the visitors in front 15-5.  Southeast Missouri made just 2-of-10 shot attempts to start the game.
 
The Redhawks ended the half on a 9-2 run to close the gap to five, 27-22, at the break.  The Colonels made just two of their final 15 attempts from the field in the first half.
 
Each time EKU began to pull away in the second half, SEMO answered with a three-pointer.  Allyson Bradshaw's trey got the Redhawks within three, 29-26.  Olivia Hackmann made it a four point game, 35-31, with a triple.  Brianna Mitchell's three-pointer with 12:36 left in the game cut the home team deficit to five, 39-34.
 
Jasmine Robinson had a game-best 13 points for Southeast Missouri.  Bollmann added 12 points and 10 rebounds. 
 
The Redhawks shot 55 percent in the second half, after making just 26 percent in the first 20 minutes.
 
Eastern returns home to face Eastern Illinois University on Thursday at McBrayer Arena.  The game will get underway at 5:30 p.m.