A bitter ending provides fuel for women

~ The Redhawks were nine seconds away from their first NCAA tournament appearance.

Last year's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game holds few fond memories for Southeast Missouri State's women.

But that excruciating double-overtime loss to Eastern Kentucky is not something the Redhawks have tried to put out of their minds.

Just the opposite, in fact.

Southeast's six returning seniors have used the defeat as motivation for what they hope will be a breakthrough campaign.

"For sure," said forward Natalie Purcell during the Redhawks' media day Tuesday at the Show Me Center. "It has fired us up. We don't want to dwell on it, but we want to use it as motivation."

When Purcell hit a shot with 9 seconds remaining in the second half, the Redhawks led Eastern Kentucky by two points and appeared headed for their first NCAA Division I tournament berth.

But the Colonels hit a shot at the buzzer to force overtime and, after the squads remained tied following the first extra period, they went on to prevail 84-73.

"It truly hurt then, and it still hurts. It still does cut deep," guard Tiffanne Ryan said. "We don't ever want to dwell on it, but it drives us."

Added forward Tatiana Conceicao, the reigning OVC player of the year: "That game is something we talk about a lot. It's motivation for us."

B.J. Smith, entering his fourth season as Southeast's coach, doesn't mind the Redhawks' using the pain of that gut-wrenching defeat to spur them on.

"We don't want to dwell on it, but it's on everybody's mind," said Smith, whose squad hosts Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 5 p.m. Friday in its exhibition opener. "It truly was a painful loss. Our kids are hungry. I think in the back of their minds, they know what they lost last year and they don't want it to happen again."

With the six seniors -- who all played an average of at least 14 minutes per game -- returning, along with what appears to be another impressive crop of newcomers, Smith and the Redhawks believe this team has all the makings of the one that finally gets Southeast over the hump and into the NCAA tournament.

"No doubt, this is our most talented team," said Smith, whose squad averaged nearly 74 points per game last year to rank 12th nationally. "But even more than talent, this team truly has character, the character to overcome everything that's put in front of them."

The Redhawks went 22-8 overall and a second-place 14-2 in the OVC last year as they posted their best season on the Division I level.

Smith has led Southeast to a 57-32 overall record the past three years, including a 35-13 OVC mark, figures that rank as the best in the conference during that period.

In addition to Conceicao, who averaged a team-high 17.6 points per game last year, Purcell is the second-leading returning scorer at 8.9 points per game, while Ryan (3.6 ppg) adds plenty of leadership as the only Redhawk who has been in the program the past four years.

The other returning seniors are forward Simone Jackson (7.9 ppg), point guard Wanika Owsley (5.1 ppg, 100 assists) and guard Katrisha Dunn (6.0 ppg).

Conceicao, Purcell, Jackson and Owsley all started at least 15 games last year.

"Our senior leadership has been amazing. All six of us are on the same page," Ryan said. "And the new players are really good. They'll help out a lot."

Smith expects plenty from the newcomers, with perhaps as many as five or six likely to see significant action.

Junior college transfers Joiceline Thesing -- the tallest player in the program's history at 6-foot-6 -- and Lachelle Lyles figure to battle for playing time at center.

"Lachelle has really come on lately," Smith said.

Among the Redhawks' six freshmen, Smith said forward Rachel Blunt from Dexter High School and guard Tarina Nixon might end up having the biggest immediate impact, while guard Sonya Daugherty -- the all-time leading high school scorer in the St. Louis area -- has come on strong during recent practices.

"Our new people are talented, and the returners make us great," Smith said.

Great enough to finally get Southeast to the NCAA Tournament? The Redhawks believe so.

"We're more hungry than we've ever been," Ryan said. "Our one goal this year is to get SEMO to the NCAA Tournament."

Added Purcell: "We want nothing less this year than to get to the tournament. It was there last year, then it got taken away from us. We are so determined this year."