INDIANS MUSTER A `MUST-WIN'; SE BREAKS SLIDE WITH 78-75 WIN OVER TIGERS

With games against Ohio Valley Conference co-leaders Austin Peay and Murray State still on tap this week, Saturday's contest against Tennessee State certainly loomed as a must-win situation for Southeast Missouri State University.

Of course, as Southeast basketball coach Ron Shumate said, "At this point, all the games the rest of the way are very important. They're all critical."

The Indians were able to pass their first big test remaining on this crucial homestand by holding off the Tigers 78-75 in front of 4,714 fans at the Show Me Center.

Southeast, by breaking a three-game losing streak, improved to 9-12 overall and 6-4 in OVC play. The Indians are tied for third place in the 10-team league with Eastern Illinois.

Austin Peay and Murray State, the Tribe's opponents at home Monday and Thursday, are at the top of the OVC pack with 8-3 marks.

TSU, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, fell to 6-12 overall, 4-6 in the OVC.

"I'm very proud of the kids," said Shumate. "They showed a lot of character. This was a very critical game, just like the next two are."

"This is a big win for us. Both teams played extremely hard. It was a great college basketball game. We made some runs and they made some runs. People can see why Tennessee State had won four games in a row."

Bud Eley led the Indians with 29 points and 14 rebounds. The 6-foot-10 junior center scored 19 points in the second half as he hit eight of 12 shots after the break.

"Bud had a tremendous game," Shumate said. "He had eight offensive rebounds and on most of those he scored."

Allen Hatchett added 13 points for the Indians while Richard Lyte had 11 and Calvert White 10.

The Tigers got 22 points from both Jason Johnson and Corrie Johnson. Seth Huber added 15 points. C. Johnson and Huber combined to hit 10 of 20 3-point shots.

"They have some good shooters. Johnson is a great shooter," said Shumate. "We were giving them some good looks, but they made some big shots."

TSU played without point guard Kareem Gilbert, who is averaging more than seven assists per game but missed the contest with a bad back.

The Tigers, also missing all-OVC standout Monty Wilson, who has played just two games this year with a leg injury, had only seven players see action against Southeast.

Still, the Tigers got off to a strong start and led by six points in the early going. But the Indians rallied for a 44-35 halftime lead as they scored the final seven points of the opening period.

Hatchett led the first-half charge with 11 points while Eley and Lyte both had 10. The Johnsons each scored 14 first-half points for the Tigers.

"I was really pleased with the way we played in the first half," said Shumate.

TSU stormed back in the second half, tying things at 50-50 on a Keith Samuel steal and dunk, then going ahead 57-56 on Michael Thompson's layup with 12:15 left.

Southeast immediately regained the lead on Devron Kirksey's inside basket with 11:53 remaining.

Five straight points from Eley boosted the Indians into a 66-60 advantage. The Tribe still led by six at 68-62, but Huber hit a 3-pointer and J. Johnson made two free throws as the Tigers pulled to within 68-67.

Eley answered with two straight follow shots to put the Indians ahead 72-67. Another Eley follow shot made it 74-69 with 3:54 left.

But again the Tigers refused to wilt. Huber's 3-pointer made it 74-72. Then after another Eley basket increased the Tribe's lead to 76-72, C. Johnson drilled a 3-pointer and TSU was within 76-75 with 2:36 left.

White's two free throws at the 1:38 mark put Southeast ahead 78-75. White had a chance to all but seal the win as he went to the charity stripe again with 26 seconds left. But he missed both attempts.

Southeast grabbed the rebound after White's second miss, but the Indians turned the ball over with 15 seconds remaining. TSU, however, missed two 3-point attempts in the close seconds as the Indians survived.

Now the Indians will brace for defending OVC Tournament champion Austin Peay, which is led one of the nation's premier players in Bubba Wells. The squads will square off at 7:45 p.m. Monday at the Show Me Center.

Wells, averaging nearly 33 points per game, had 39 as the Govs beat the Indians 96-85 on Jan. 4 in Clarksville, Tenn.

"Austin Peay is playing very well and they've got the premier player in the league in Bubba Wells," Shumate said. "It's going to be a big challenge for us."