Everyone plays in Redhawks rout

~ Seldom-used Diebold sparked Southeast in a 93-53 win against Martin Methodist.

With an average scoring margin of less than one point per game entering the week, Southeast Missouri State has not had the luxury of enjoying many blowout victories.

Thursday was an exception, however, as the Redhawks crushed Martin Methodist 93-53 at the Show Me Center.

It was the Redhawks' fifth straight win and pushed their record to 8-4.

Martin Methodist, an NAIA school from Pulaski, Tenn., fell to 9-3.

Southeast had previously defeated only one opponent by more than 14 points -- a 23-point triumph over Harris-Stowe, another NAIA program -- and had only two other double-digit victory margins, by 14 and 11 points.

"It's good to have a game like this because everybody gets to play," Southeast junior guard Ashley Lovelady said.

That is perhaps the biggest benefit any time a team wins as big as Southeast did Thursday, as Southeast acting head coach John Ishee was quick to point out.

"It was really nice to see everybody get minutes, because everybody works really hard in practice," Ishee said. "We really haven't had any games like this."

All 10 of Southeast's available players -- sophomore guard Sonya Daugherty missed the contest for what Ishee said was a minor health problem, but she should be back at practice today -- were in for at least 9 minutes.

While most of the Redhawks' usual suspects put up solid numbers, one little-used Southeast player particularly took advantage of the situation.

Heather Diebold, a sophomore walk-on guard from Branson, Mo., has barely gotten off the bench during her one-plus seasons with the Redhawks.

Last year, as a freshman, Diebold played a total of 5 minutes in four games and scored four points for the Southeast team that won the Ohio Valley Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time.

Diebold originally decided to sit out this season for personal reasons, but she joined the squad a few games into the campaign.

Like last year, however, Diebold had seen little action, playing 7 minutes in five games. She had not scored.

But against Martin Methodist, it was finally Diebold's turn to shine.

After not playing in the first half, Diebold played 11 second-half minutes -- and exploded for 12 points, to go along with four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Diebold hit four of five shots from the field, including her only 3-pointer. She also made all three of her free-throw attempts.

"Heather really stepped up," Southeast senior center Lachelle Lyles said.

Said Ishee: "She played big. She was outstanding. If she plays like that, she'll get more minutes."

Diebold said her original plan was to take a year off from basketball, although not because of a lack of playing time.

"My grandpa was in ill health and I was going to take the season off," she said. "Then he passed away. They [Southeast coaches] had talked to me about playing and my grandma said I better come back."

Added a smiling Diebold of Thursday's performance: "It felt good."

Two other Southeast reserves -- senior center Joiceline Thesing and sophomore guard Szandra Pal -- were able to more than double their season scoring averages, although they are generally key players off the bench anyway.

Thesing, who at 6-foot-6 is the tallest player in the program's history, has come on in recent weeks. She had 13 points Thursday, all in the second half, when she played 14 minutes.

Pal, a starter for three games early in the year, scored seven points.

"We're trying to develop a bench, so this was a good game for us," Lyles said.

Now, for the Redhawks' normal mainstays.

Lyles, the nation's leading rebounder, continued to own the glass as she pulled down 23 boards, including nine on the offensive end.

Lyles, who pushed her rebounding average to 16.3 per game, grabbed more than 20 rebounds for the third time this season, all coming in the last seven contests. She set the OVC record with 32 boards on Dec. 7 at Tennessee State.

In addition, Lyles scored eight points and blocked three shots. She has seven blocks in her last two games.

Junior forward Missy Whitney, Southeast's leading scorer, posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds despite playing just nine second-half minutes. Whitney, who had 13 first-half points, added two blocked shots.

Lovelady, the Redhawks' second-leading scorer -- she averages 12.4 points per game to Whitney's 13.8 -- scored all 12 of her points in the first half as she played only 8 second-half minutes. Lovelady also led Southeast with five assists.

Sophomore guard Tarina Nixon played just 6 second-half minutes but finished with 12 points and four assists.

Sophomore forward Rachel Blunt was a sixth double-figure scorer for the Redhawks with 10 points. She had three assists.

Ishee said earlier in the week that he was wary of Martin Methodist, which came to town with an impressive record.

But Ishee said the combination of the visitors missing two starters and Southeast's focused, strong play caused the blowout.

The Redhawks, who led 41-22 at halftime, shot 48.6 percent from the field and were especially hot from 3-point range, making nine of 16.

On the defensive end, Southeast limited Martin Methodist to 32.3-percent shooting, and the Redhawks dominated the boards with a 54-27 rebounding margin.

"We had a lot of maturity as far as approaching the game the right way," Ishee said. "We didn't worry about the name of the school, we just played our game."

Said Lovelady: "You can't take any team lightly. Any team can beat you. We came prepared and ready to play."

Southeast, in second place in the OVC with a 3-1 record, resumes conference play Tuesday at Eastern Kentucky.