COLUMN: Home is where the wins are for SEMO

For the first time since joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 1991, Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball team took on a conference opponent from the same state.

The Redhawks introduced their newly minted rival, the Lindenwood Lions, to the Show Me Center with a 68-45 drubbing on Thursday, for their first OVC win of the season.

The game was over when the Redhawks flew through the gates on a 17-0 run in the first seven minutes of the game. It took over eight minutes for the Lions to score their first bucket.

The Redhawks have scored all six of their wins at home, with their most recent victory snapping a four-game losing streak. SEMO played three games on the road during the skid.

“That was a rough start for us, being on the road for three games. That’s really hard to do,” SEMO guard Sophie Bussard said. “But it was really good to come back home and get a win, and then we’re going to ride this thing out into Saturday.”

There has been a stark difference between SEMO’s fortunes at home and on the road. In the friendly confines of the Show Me Center, the Redhawks can beat a foe such as Illinois-Chicago, which went 8-3 through its non-conference schedule.

Yet, on the road, the closest game for the Redhawks was a 12-point loss at Missouri.

“This whole season we've kind of struggled to go on the road,” Bussard said. “So we're still trying to figure that part out. I think we feel more comfort here with our fans and just always get into practice here. We still got to figure that out the road part but it always feels good to come back and be home and then just get a win.”

Fortunately for the Redhawks, after Saturday’s road trip to Morehead State, there’s a three-game homestand on the horizon.

__It’s all about the arch__

In a sport where one shot is worth 50 percent more than the other, making and defending that shot becomes the name of the game.

In the Redhawks’ 15 games before Thursday’s win, SEMO has shot 68-of-232 (.293) from the three-point line. Meanwhile, opponents have shot 84-of-251 (.335).

When on the road, the Redhawks made only 25-of-123 (.203), meaning they are trying, but missing and losing. Whatever difference is being made between home and road is what’s pushing SEMO over to the win column.

Against Lindenwood, SEMO made more three-pointers than any road game (6-of-18) largely from Rahmena Henderson’s 3-for-3 night from three.

“Rahmena can score,” SEMO head coach Rekha Patterson said. “We know that she can shoot it. Obviously, none of us have really been shooting it well, but here shooting and hitting those threes gives her a lot of confidence and keeps the team energized.”

On the flip side, the Redhawks held the Lions to 2-of-16 from beyond the arch.

“That was just an emphasis for us,” Bussard said. “We knew we had to come in and defend the three.”

“I thought our young ladies were they defended the three with a sense of urgency,” Patterson said. “They quickly got out to the three and at least have a hand up so people weren't getting rhythm shots. They were a little bit rushed, and that's kind of what we want.”

Morehead State, who shoots .388 from the key, will be a major test for SEMO’s three-point defense on Saturday.

__We have a new rivalry__

The OVC has gone through a major shuffling over the past couple of years. Two schools, including Lindenwood, made the jump to Division I this year.

With the addition of the St. Charles-based Lions, SEMO now has another team from Missouri to contend with.

“I absolutely think if you go back to the fall sports and the way the SEMO fans showed up in Lindenwood for the football game,” Patterson said. “Our gymnastics team just competed at Lindenwood [last week]. I think this is absolutely a rivalry. This is the first time we played a conference team from the state of Missouri and I think that the more people get to know about Lindenwood right, there's gonna be a little bit of pride in being the best Missouri team in the OVC.”

The men’s basketball team followed the women with a blowout win of their own against the Lions. Head coach Brad Korn agreed that an emerging rivalry is good for the conference.

“You hope that it can build into that,” Korn said. “I think they have the ability from their coach, their facilities, their location, to be able to make it that way. I think that’s good for our league to be able to have regional rivalries like that. So yeah, I don’t see why it can’t be something like that.”

It’s worth noting that Patterson was seen among the fans during those games in the fall.

“I want those young people to know that I'm supporting them,” Patterson said.