The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team hung with SIU Edwardsville for most of the game on Jan. 20, but a late run in the second half by the Cougars allowed them to edge the Redhawks 60-48.

Southeast was unable to continue the momentum from Saturday's win Tennessee Tech and fell to 1-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 8-12 overall.

The Cougars continued their hot streak as the victory was the team's sixth in a row and improve their record to 6-1 in the OVC and 11-9 overall.

The game started out with two straights buckets for SIU Edwardsville, but a free-throw line jumper by senior guard Jasmine Robinson put the Redhawks on the board, to narrow the gap to 4-2.

Turnovers on three of the next four possessions for the Redhawks allowed the Cougars to extend the lead to 10-4.

The lead would get as high as nine points for SIU Edwardsville at 18-9 as the Cougars made six of their first eight shots from the floor in the first 10 minutes. But the Redhawks were able to get back into the game using defense and they held the Cougars to making only 2 of 20 shots the rest of the half.

The epitome of the charge by the Redhawks late in the second half was seen by one possession in particular. Junior guard Olivia Hackmann made two blocks on two separate shots which resulted in a layup by senior forward Connor King.

"We did some good things on the defensive end," coach Ty Margenthaler said. "We held them to 60 points, they average 75. Our defense is fine, we just need to be consistent on the offensive end."

The Redhawks used the good defensive stretch to go into the locker room down by only two points at 25-23.

The Redhawks tied the game,when on Southeast's first possession, junior forward Erin Bollman scored on a layup and knot the game at 25. Bollman also put the Redhawks in front 27-26 with a jumper.

The lead was Southeast's only one of the game as the Cougars resumed control of the game on the next possession on a layup.

"We play well at times on offense," Margenthaler said. "But not for the full 40 minutes."

The lead for the Cougars neared double digits as a bad possessions ending in bad shots or turnovers for the Redhawks allowed SIUE to balloon the lead to 39-30. But the Redhawks would show some fight as a 3-point bucket by freshman guard Hannah Noe narrowed the deficit back to four at 41-37.

"The game was like a roller coaster," Bollman said. "Full of ups and downs. We just need to be more consistent."

With just over seven minutes to play, the Redhawks saw a six-point gap be widened to 11 as the Cougars began to hit shots. The Redhawks just couldn't keep pace and SIU Edwardsville was able to ice the game from the free throw line in the waning minutes.

"This team has fight in them. I have to fight, they have to fight," Margenthaler said. "Every game is winnable, but also every game is losable."

Bollman led the Redhawks in points with 14 and also collected seven rebounds. Robinson followed as she accounted for 12 points with two assists.

Southeast will take the court again when they face UT Martin on Saturday on the road. The game starts at 6:00 p.m.