The Skyhawk women’s basketball team dropped its second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference contest Thursday night as the Southeast Missouri Redhawks defeated the Skyhawks, 79-56, in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

With UTM trailing 16-12 midway through the first half, Southeast Missouri rallied with a 13-1 to take a 29-13 lead at the 7:19 mark. By the end of the first half, the Skyhakws faced a 44-21 deficit.

After the break, Southeast Missouri held its lead as the Skyhawks never came within 19 points of catching the Redbirds.

Sophomore Tiffany Arnold, from Nashville, continues to be a valuable asset to the Skyhawk offense, scoring a career-high 22 points. She scored most of those points from the free throw line, hitting 12 of 14 attempts.

The Redhawks were led by Brandi Russia with 16 points. Four other Redhawks scored double digits, including Chandra Brown who netted 10 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.

The Skyhawks struggled with their shooting game, connecting for 34 percent from the field and 20 percent from the three-point arc. The Redhawks shot 70 percent from the field in the first half and 52 percent in the game.

. The Redbirds are currently second in the OVC, posting an 8-1 record. UTM claims the No. 4 spot with a 5-4 showing.

Tennessee-Martin’s Skyhawk women had two chances in the final 15 seconds of Saturday afternoon’s game against Eastern Illinois to put the brakes on a two-game losing slide.

Junior college transfer Nicole Rivers opted for a layup instead of shooting the three-pointer with less than 10 seconds. She nailed the layup, but the Skyhawks trailed 66-65.

Skyhawk first-year head coach Tara Tansil said her team lacked focus and intensity. “Rivers thought that the game was tied, and that is because we are not focused on the game,” Tansil said.

The second chance for the win came with 1.1 seconds left on the clock when junior Keva Robinson stole the inbounds pass underneath the Skyhawks’ basket and her five-foot jumper rolled off the rim.

With the 66-65 loss to visiting Eastern Illinois, the Skyhawk women fall to 5-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 6-15 overall. The Skyhawks have lost their last three games and their last two home games in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

Eastern Illinois improves to 9-12 overall and 2-8 in the OVC race. The Skyhawks return to action Thursday, Feb. 10 when they host Austin Peay in the Elam Center. Thursday’s game is the third of a four-game homestand. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

Sophomore Andreika Jackson had no trouble focusing in the second half. Jackson went nine-for-nine from the field and finished the game with 21 points. She was the only Skyhawk in double-digits. The Skyhawk women trailed at the half, 34-23. Jackson saw three minutes of court time before hitting the bench with two personal fouls.

“We needed to go to Andreika (Jackson) early,” Tansil said. “She needs to learn to move her feet. After she came out we didn’t know who wanted to play.”

The Skyhawks also failed to take care of the basketball in the first 20 minutes of play, committing 12 turnovers.

O’Connor led the way for the Lady Panthers with 16 points and five rebounds in the first half. The Lady Panthers shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, while the host Skyhawks shot a dismal 29 percent.

“We had no effort and no intensity in the first half and that is why I challenged them during halftime,” Tansil said. “We looked like we were relaxed.”