Palmer gets first win, SEMO WBB takes down SIU 70-58

SEMO junior guard Kennedy Claybrooks drives toward the basket during the home opener against Southern Illinois on Monday, Nov. 25. The Redhawks defeated their rival 70-58 to hand new head coach Briley Palmer her first win at SEMO.

Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

CAPE GIRARDEAU — Briley Palmer said she wanted to put her full attention on her team during a changing of the guard for Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball.

Following a rocky 0-4 start, the Redhawks finally pulled through and got the win for their new head coach.

Junior guard Kennedy Claybrooks led the charge with 19 points and SEMO used a huge second half to run away from Southern Illinois 70-58 in the home opener on Monday night at the Show Me Center.

“I’m just really proud because I've been saying, ‘please girls, just give me 40 minutes,’” Palmer said. “‘Not 38 not 37 not 35, give me 40 and let's just see what we can do. And to play 40 minutes in front of this crowd tonight was wonderful. What a neat deal for, not only our community and kind of the era that we're trying to get rolling in Cape, but at a time when these girls needed it.”

Palmer, a Farmington native who spent the previous four years as the head coach at Mineral Area College, embraces the pressure she has been faced with after taking over the program.

“I think with the administration and the staff, I feel very much at home,” Palmer said. “I think that seeing the progress in this program in just a short amount of time gives me all the reassurance I need.

“Of course, you get to games and you really get to see what comes out. And I think that now with the win, it kind of just gets us tuned in for what we can do.”

The Redhawks were motivated to come through for their new coach.

Claybrooks poured in a season and game-high in points for SEMO (1-4), who scored the first six points of the night. Lexi McCully, a transfer from Georgia Southwestern, tied a career-high 18 points and sophomore Indiya Bowen added 14.

“With the amount of love and encouragement that my teammates poured into me, I finally just listened,” McCully said of her breakout performance. “I was like, ‘I am here for a reason, I am doing good,’ and just having people who won't let you give up on yourself is everything. It rose out of the concrete and I couldn't have done it without them.”

SEMO led 31-30 at halftime, shooting 42% from the field. SIU (1-4) did not take its first lead until 1:47 left in the second quarter when freshman guard Tkiyah Nelson sunk a second-chance layup. The Redhawks answered in a hurry, though, as McCully drained a 3-pointer to quickly regain the lead.

The tight first half was short-lived, though, as the Redhawks regained full composure and dominated in the final 20 minutes to hold on for their first win of the season.

Thanks to a Brianna Hill 3-pointer and a nifty Claybrooks second-chance layup, SEMO led by as much as 17 midway through the fourth quarter. Claybrooks put the exclamation point on the night with a 3-pointer in front of her bench in the final minute to send her home crowd into a frenzy.

“She stepped up tonight,” Palmer said. “She really did. I don’t even know if I subbed her out tonight. She played probably close to the whole 40- minute time, so that’s just a great deal for her just to get that confidence and knowing that I've got that trust in her.”

Big Picture

Palmer has said she wanted the Redhawks to build solid defensive performances and there were positive results on that front Monday. SIU was held to 33% shooting from the field, while SEMO forced 18 turnovers, including 10 in the first half.

Monster nights from McCully and Claybrooks are excellent signs, proving that the Redhawks have an arsenal of scorers outside of the promising freshman Zoe Best, who only finished with six points on 2 of 10 shooting. That versatility also accounted for a season-best 47% shooting from 3-point range.

“Honestly, our plan never changed,” McCully said. “Even after staring 0-4, we only work hard. We won. Now, we're working harder. Back in the gym, back in the lab. We have a type of grind to us and we want to win the way we want to be. We don't mind putting in those extra hours and we’re going to stay on it 10 toes throughout the process.”

What's next?

SEMO’s home slate continues this Saturday, Nov. 30 when the Redhawks host Indiana State at 5:15 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN+.