INDIANS LOOK TO STAY ON LEAD LAP AFTER TOPPLING RACERS

Normally, Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner would be concerned that the Indians might have a letdown following Saturday's huge win at Murray State.

But a couple of factors give Garner confidence that the Indians will be primed and ready for a strong performance when Tennessee Tech visits the Show Me Center for tonight's 7:30 Ohio Valley Conference game.

First of all, last Thursday's upset loss at Tennessee-Martin is no doubt still fresh on the Indians' minds. That game showed Southeast that it can be beaten by any team unless it puts forth a maximum effort.

And second, Tech's Golden Eagles came into Cape Girardeau last season and pulled off a 68-62 shocker. That game, on Feb. 6, marks Southeast's last loss at the Show Me Center.

"I think we're really going to be ready to play," said Garner, whose squad will begin a four-game homestand tonight. "It's a dangerous game for us. They beat us at home last year and I'm sure they think they can do it again."

Garner figures the Indians will have to be ready to play in order to avoid a second straight home loss to the Eagles, who have won three straight games and have moved into third place in the OVC, just one game behind first-place Southeast on the loss side.

"They're playing really well and they'll come in here with a lot of confidence," Garner said. "If we lose to them, they're even with us on the loss side, so it's a really big game for them."

Southeast, 12-3 overall, is 5-1 in OVC play, one full game ahead of 3-1 Murray State. Tech, 8-6 overall under second-year coach Jeff Lebo, is 3-2 in the league after an impressive win over rival Middle Tennessee Saturday.

Tech and Southeast have already met once this season, the Indians building an 18-point lead and then holding on for an 84-79 victory Dec. 2 in Cookeville, Tenn.

"We saw the kind of team they have in that game," said Garner of the Eagles. "They really made a great comeback against us."

Tonight's game will offer an interesting contrast as Tech leads the OVC in scoring at 86.5 points per game and Southeast is first in the league in scoring defense, giving up only 61.1 points a contest.

The Indians also lead the OVC in field-goal percentage defense (38.9) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (28.5).

Tech does much of its offensive damage from long range as the Eagles lead the OVC in 3-point field goals made with nearly 11 per game. Tech's 148 successful 3-pointers are a whopping 46 more than any other league team.

"They start shooting threes when they get off the bus," said Garner.

The Eagles have one of the OVC's better guard tandems in Josh Heard and Corey Hemphill, who average 15.6 and 13.1 points per game, respectively. They are both shooting 36 percent from 3-point range.

Tech also brings some dangerous guards off the bench, including freshmen Brent Jolly and Leigh Gayden. Jolly leads the OVC in 3-point shooting at 57 percent while Gayden is seventh at 42 percent.

"The OVC has a lot of good guards, and Heard and Hemphill are very good," Garner said. "Then they bring Jolly and Gayden off the bench. Jolly leads the league (in 3-point shooting) and Gayden lit us up (hitting five of 10 3-pointers in the earlier meeting)."

Tech also has one of the OVC's better inside players in forward Larrie Smith, a 6-foot-5 player who performs much bigger. Averaging 15.2 points per game, Smith is second in the OVC in rebounding at 9.2 a contest and he is fourth in field-goal shooting at 57 percent.

"(Murray State standout) Isaac Spencer is a great offensive rebounder, but Smith is even better. He's got more offensive rebounds than Spencer, and he's got more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds," said Garner. "He's really active inside and he'll be a big factor. Put him together with all those 3-point shooters, and they're tough to defend."

Like Tech, Southeast has three double-figure scorers in Mike Branson (13.3 ppg), Roderick Johnson (12.1 ppg) and Michael Stokes (11.3 ppg).

Johnson is fourth in the OVC in rebounding with 8.2 per game, fourth in blocked shots with 1.2 per game and second in field-goal shooting at 59 percent.

Stokes is fifth in the league in assists with 4.5 a contest (Hemphill is third at 5.1), Brian Bunche is seventh in rebounding with 7.1 per game and Branson is eighth in 3-point shooting at 41 percent.

"We're playing with a lot of confidence, but we have to make sure we're not overconfident," said Garner. "I think we can draw on the Martin game to help us there."

With four straight games at home, including Saturday's contest against Eastern Illinois, Garner knows the Indians will have an opportunity to put a streak together.

"We must protect our home court," he said. "We'll probably be favored in each game (on the homestand), so if we protect our home court and win all four, we're looking at 9-1 (in the OVC)."

But Garner knows that the Indians can't hit the court thinking they're going to win just because they're at home.

"I know it sounds like coach talk, but we just have to take it one game at a time," he said. "We can't look past anybody."

INDIAN NOTES: Stokes, Southeast's junior point guard, was named OVC Newcomer of the Week for his performance in three games last week. Stokes averaged 17 points and five assists as the Indians beat Murray and Middle Tennessee while losing to UT-Martin...

The games tonight and Saturday are part of the Union Planters Bank Extravaganza that will include player and coach appearances at area elementary schools, along with a clinic for boys and girls Saturday morning.

"It's really good for our basketball program," said Garner of the Union Planters Bank Extravaganza. "I can't thank Union Planters enough for what they do for us. We want to get involved in the community as much as possible."