Redhawks post 10th straight victory

On a night when Southeast Missouri State star Tatiana Conceicao had her lowest scoring output of the season, it was up to other Redhawks to carry the load.

Up stepped Brandi Russia and Chandra Brown, two of Southeast's few returning players from last year who both reached season-high scoring totals Saturday during a 74-54 win over Tennessee State at the Show Me Center.

Russia, a senior guard, scored a career-high 21 points and continued to sizzle from long range as she made five of six 3-pointers, improving her 3-point accuracy in Ohio Valley Conference games to nearly 50 percent.

"Whenever somebody out there is not playing good, somebody else has to step up," said Russia, who added four steals. "That's what has made us a successful team. We all have to contribute, it's not just about one person."

Brown, a senior forward, had 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. She made seven of 11 field-goal attempts.

"We're a team, and everybody has to contribute," Brown said.

Southeast (17-6, 11-1) extended its winning streak to 10 games and remained in a first-place OVC tie with Eastern Kentucky. The league leaders square off Thursday in Richmond, Ky.

That the Redhawks were able to pull away from just a three-point halftime lead without a major contribution from Conceicao impressed Southeast coach B.J. Smith.

Conceicao, a junior college transfer who was averaging 18.2 points per game, was in foul trouble much of the way and played just 16 minutes. She scored four points, marking just the second time all season she has not reached double figures.

"Tatiana seemed a little off her game, but I told her I've had bad days at the office. We all do," Smith said. "Brandi really stepped up when we needed her. She hit some big shots. And I thought Chandra was our MVP. She really controlled the paint."

Southeast hit nine of 16 3-pointers -- junior guard Katrisha Dunn made two of three as she scored seven points off the bench -- and overall went 24 of 45 from the field (53.3 percent).

Junior forward Natalie Purcell added four points, seven rebounds and four assists off the bench. Junior point guard Wanika Owsley had six points, three assists and three steals.

TSU (7-16, 4-8), which pushed Southeast to the limit on Jan. 13 in Nashville before falling by eight points, again gave the Redhawks quite a battle. The Tigers held several first-half leads and trailed just 34-31 at halftime.

"They're a good team and they played us real good over there," Russia said. "They came here thinking they could beat us."

But Southeast quickly took control in the second half, building a 10-point lead less than six minutes in and steadily pulling away. The Redhawks were ahead by no less than 15 points over the final eight minutes and led by 23 late.

"We were worried about this game," Smith said. "When we played there we had a battle, and tonight they battled us the whole way."

Southeast's defense was again strong, holding TSU to 34.5 percent shooting (19 of 55) and forcing 18 turnovers, although the Redhawks also had 18 turnovers.

Quanecia Fletcher led the Tigers with 16 points. Kendra Bailey had 14.

Noteworthy

* Freshman forward Julie Sweetin, who made two starts early in the season and has been a valuable role player off the bench, will miss the remainder of the season after recently injuring a knee in practice.

Sweetin, who had not played much in recent weeks, averaged 2.9 points per game on the season.

"It's a shame for Julie, but hopefully she'll bounce back and be ready for next year," Smith said.