Panthers pounce on Redhawks to start OVC slate

Southeast Missouri State guard Zoe Best drives to the basket while defended by Eastern Illinois, and former Redhawk, Kiyley Flowers, on Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Show Me Center.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Southeast Missouri State opened the Ohio Valley Conference slate of the season with a 71-55 loss against Eastern Illinois on Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Show Me Center.

Freshman Zoe Best led the Redhawks with 19 points on 7 of 18 shooting. Both Indiya Bowen and Skylar Barnes scored 10 points each for SEMO.

It was quite the bounce-back game for Best, who previously scored six points and missed all seven shots from the arc on Monday against Missouri State.

“I feel like if I miss my first couple shots, I get in my head, and then I get down on myself,” Best said. “Just being able to bounce back and just being a three-level player, like on the defensive end, on the offensive end, being able to score, being able to pass, being able to do whatever my team needs at that time. Tonight, I feel like I did better, if my shot wasn't hitting, to make the right pass, and if my shot was hitting to keep shooting.”

The Panthers were led by Macy McGlone’s 17 points, followed by 13 points from Tiny Lewis, 11 points from Sydney-James Desroaches, and 10 points from Alex Rouse. McGlone also grabbed 18 rebounds for the game’s only double-double.

"That's the third best team in the conference, and they have the best post player in the conference," SEMO head coach Briley Palmer said of McGlone. "We knew she was going to be good."

Former Redhawk Kiyley Flowers made her return to the Show Me Center as a member of the Panthers. Flowers scored two points but grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists.

The Panthers out-rebounded the Redhawks 43-24 and made four more free throws than SEMO with 10 more attempts.

The Redhawks made two more three- pointers than the Panthers but most of those baskets came at the bottom half of the fourth quarter.

“Just because it's a quick shot, that's not that doesn't mean it's a bad shot,” Palmer said. "There are quick bad shots, and then there are quick shots. We were taking quick shots at the end, which is timely.”

Despite missing all six of their three-point attempts, the Redhawks only trailed the Panthers 8-5 after the first quarter.

The Panthers took control of the game with a 12-0 run to start the second quarter with a 20-5 lead with five minutes remaining in the half.

It took SEMO 11 attempts to make its first three-point basket, courtesy of Lexi McCully, and went into halftime down 29-17.

“At the beginning, we were open and we were hesitant,” Palmer said.

The Panthers stretched their lead to 20 in the midst of a 10-3 run late in the third quarter and maintained that pace through the fourth quarter.

At one point in the fourth quarter, both SEMO and EIU each made three baskets from the three-point line. The difference was the Redhawks attempted 20 shots while the Panthers put up 10.

The Redhawks picked it up within the final minutes of the game, making four of their final eight attempts, but it was too little too late.

“We're not a bad three-point shooting team,” Palmer said. “When we hit, we are going to hit, and it just takes some time with it.”

SEMO will remain home on Saturday, Dec. 21, as the Redhawks welcome the Cougars of SIUE.

“We've got to be aggressive defensively,” Palmer said. “I don't know exactly the ingredients for that with our bunch yet, because you don't want to start gambling so early and then having something where you build a hole for yourself.”