The Redhawks lost against the UT Martin Skyhawks team 70-49 Thursday, Feb. 24 at the Show Me Center.

Southeast struggled throughout the first half of the game, falling behind 40-21 while shooting 34 percent on offense and allowing seven threes on the defensive side of the ball. Twelve Redhawk turnovers in the first half led to 13 points for the Skyhawks.

The trends from the first half carried over into the second. The Redhawks offense was overpowered by a physical Skyhawks defense. The Redhawks scored 28 points with the defense unable to consistently get stops.

Freshmen forwards Kennedi Watkins and Halle Smith and guard Jaliyah Green scored in double digits.

Senior guard Taelour Pruitt said the freshmen taking over and leading shows there is a bright future for the team.

“I think that’s really good, not being afraid to take those shots and get in there even when we are down,” Pruitt said.

Head coach Rekha Patterson had similar words about the young players and their performance.

“That is one of the most bright spots about this unfortunate season. These young ladies have great attitudes. They’re coachable and they came here to win,” Patterson said. “The future of this program is going to be much different because those three have experienced a bad season and don’t want to do it again.”

With one game left in the season, the team has been looking back on their progress. Coach Patterson said the overall growth of the team during the season is something she is proud of.

“I think you can look at our past three games prior to tonight and I thought we were very competitive, against Belmont, who’s a top team in the league and Tennessee Tech,” Patterson said. “The growth of Kennedy, Halle and Jaliyah has been great.”

The Redhawks will conclude their season against Murray State on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. at the Show Me Center.