The SEMO women’s basketball team were defeated by Little Rock by a score of 61-48, leaving them tied for eighth place in the OVC.

The Redhawks early on played very competitively, keeping the score close, but in the second quarter, the Trojans started to pull away, extending their lead to 29-21 at halftime.

The Trojan’s momentum continued into the third quarter where they outscored the Redhawks by double the amount of points they scored.

As the game continued the Trojans continued to run away with the game, using a physical game plan and capitalizing on the Redhawk’s 22 turnovers, finishing the game with a score of 61-48.

“I hate that we did not perform the way that I would have liked, the fight that we needed to have, I hate that we didn’t do that, because we are a better team than what we showed,” Head Coach Rekha Patterson said.

The Trojans outclassed the Redhawks in each major stat, including having a higher field goal and three point percentage, less turnovers, and more than double the Redhawks points off of turnovers.

“I do think you have to credit your opponents, they were physical, they stuck to their game plan, they had a couple players step up and have career high nights, and we just didn’t match the physicality or intensity,” Patterson said.

Freshman guard Indiya Bowen finished the game as the top scorer, yet still feels that both her and the team could have done more.

“I feel like my performance could have been better, but as a team, we could have competed a little more than we did today,” Bowen said.

With this loss the Redhawks are now in danger of missing the OVC tournament, as they are currently tied with Tennessee State for the eighth seed, and need every possible win for a guaranteed spot.

“What we are looking forward to for the remainder of the season is to fight for our lives, and a position in the tournament,” Sophomore Guard Alicia Doyle said.

Coach Patterson stated that this is the mentality for the rest of the season as the Redhawks take on UT Martin, Morehead State, and number one ranked Southern Indiana in order to secure a spot for themselves in the tournament.

“We are fighting to get to that tournament, so it’s got to look different and everyone is fighting, we control our own destiny, so we have to fight like we’re not in, and we’ve gotta fight like it matters,” Coach Patterson said.

The Redhawks will be back in action on Feb. 24 for their last home game of the season against UT Martin at 1:30 p.m.