JONESBORO, Ark. (11/19/12) – Despite a career night
from junior forward Jane Morrill, Southeast Missouri State knocked off Arkansas
State 52-51 Monday night at the Convocation Center in a non-conference women's
basketball game.
Jordan Hunter gave the Redhawks their first lead with
four seconds left in the game and A-State's (0-4) 3-point attempt at the buzzer
fell short as SEMO escaped with the narrow victory.
“You definitely saw a true tale of two halves,” ASU
head coach Brian Boyer said. “The first half was outstanding and that is what
we had been looking for in our offense. In the second half I thought the start
was pretty good but they just got into a rhythm and you could just feel the
energy that was taken out of us on the offensive end.”
Morrill finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds for
the second double-double of her career. The 11 rebounds were also a
career-high, but it wasn't enough as SEMO (2-2) outscored A-State 36-21 in the
second half.
Morrill helped the Red Wolves jump out to a 16-point
first half advantage by scoring 14 points and pulling down nine rebounds in the
period. It was the second time this season that Morrill had reached double-digit
scoring in the first half.
The Red Wolves started the game on a 16-6 run after
Morrill knocked down a '3' to spark the A-State attack. ASU held a 24-10 advantage
with 5:56 left in the half and the lead swelled to a 30-16 advantage at halftime.
The Red Wolves shot 45 percent from the field in the
first half, while holding to SEMO to just 19 percent. However, the Redhawks
bounced back by shooting 62 percent in the second half and outscoring the ASU
bench 24-2.
SEMO used a 12-0 run to tie the game at 45-45 with
3:40 left in the game, but Ashley Olvera knocked down a 3-pointer to end the
run. Following a Redhawks' turnover, Olvera knocked down 1-of-2 free throws to
push the lead to 49-45 with 2:50 left in the game.
Morrill gave ASU a 51-47 lead with a 1:33 to go on a
layup, but SEMO's Patricia Mack hit a 3-pointer with 58 seconds left to pull
within one. Following a missed 3-point attempt from the Red Wolves, SEMO scored
with just four seconds on Hunter's layup to take the victory.
Morrill's 23 points led ASU on the night, while Olvera
added 16 points. Hanna Qedan added five rebounds on the night, while Quinishia
McDowell had three steals.
The Red Wolves will travel to USC Wednesday, Nov. 21,
for a non-conference matchup with the Trojans. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. CST.
