Defending co-champs add new faces to rivalry

~ Tennessee Tech will be looking for its first conference win when Southeast visits.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The cast of characters has changed quite a bit.

But there still figures to be plenty of intensity today when fierce Ohio Valley Conference women's basketball rivals Southeast Missouri State and Tennessee Tech square off.

The tip between the Redhawks (3-3, 1-0 OVC) and host Eaglettes (1-6, 0-2), who are off to a surprisingly slow conference start, is set for 5:30 p.m. and caps Southeast's two-game road trip.

"It should be a great ballgame," Southeast acting head coach John Ishee said.

Southeast and Tech have built quite a rivalry over the past four years, with the Redhawks replacing the Eaglettes -- at least during that period -- as the OVC's winningest program.

Tech has won an OVC-record 16 regular-season championships and nine tournament titles, but Southeast has the best four-year record (79-41) among OVC teams entering this season.

Last year, the squads shared the OVC regular-season crown, as each claimed narrow victories on the other's home court.

But the Redhawks had the final say when they crushed the Eaglettes 71-50 in the conference tournament final to advance to the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time. Southeast has won eight of the past 11 meetings with Tech.

Both teams are in something of a transitional period this year as graduation took a toll, although more heavily on the Redhawks.

Southeast lost four starters and six key seniors from its first OVC championship squad. No returning player averaged as many as six points per game, which explains why the Redhawks were picked just fifth in the league's preseason poll.

Tech returned three starters, but not center Emily Christian, the reigning OVC player of the year who led the conference in scoring last season. The Eaglettes were picked to finish fourth in the OVC.

Each team has also been hit with coaching upheaval.

Ishee has led the Redhawks since fifth-year head coach B.J. Smith was placed on paid leave by the university two days prior to the season opener. Ishee will remain as acting head coach the rest of the campaign after the university announced Smith's resignation this week.

Amy Brown is in her first year as Tech's head coach after longtime Eaglettes' boss Bill Worrell resigned following last season. Brown had been an assistant at Tech the previous 10 years.

"I think both teams are quite a bit different than last year, especially us. They still have several starters back," Ishee said.

Including senior guard Kendall Cavin, a second-team all-OVC selection last year and a first-team preseason pick this year. She leads the Eaglettes offensively with an average of 12.6 points per game.

Both teams played rugged nonconference schedules, which explains their less-than-imposing overall records.

Southeast opened its OVC slate, and its current road trip, Thursday with a 67-53 win at Tennessee State behind a conference-record 32 rebounds from senior center Lachelle Lyles, who turned in the fourth-best single-game rebounding performance in NCAA Division I history.

Tech has dropped its first two league games, including Thursday's stunningly lopsided 89-70 home loss to Eastern Illinois. The Eaglettes have lost six straight games overall, tying the longest losing streak in school history.

"But I know they're going to be really tough," Ishee said. "Basketball is a long season, and they've still got a good team."

Said Lyles: "They're a big rival for us. I'm sure it's going to be a tough game, but we want to go to 2-0 in the OVC."