INDIANS TOPPLE EAGLES IN OT

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- There is still no telling how Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball team will fare during the rest of the 2000-01 season.

But if the Indians do go on to have a substantially successful campaign, they just might look back to Saturday night's game at Morehead State as a major turning point.

The defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Indians entered Saturday's contest limping along with a 2-4 league record. And the situation became even more bleak when they fell behind the Eagles 50-33 with 12:50 remaining in the second half.

But in an almost unbelievable turn of events, Southeast used a 24-4 run to go ahead. And even though MSU forced overtime with a late 3-pointer, the Indians went on to post a scintillating 74-71 victory.

So the Indians, while still not in great shape in the OVC race, are at least alive and kicking as their 3-4 mark has moved them up to a tie for fifth place in the nine-team league. Southeast is 12-7 overall.

MSU, which lost a late seven-point lead Thursday night in a home defeat to Eastern Illinois, fell to 9-10 overall and 3-5 in the OVC.

"Any time you come back from 17 down on the road, especially in a conference game, I don't care who you're playing, it's a tremendous win," said Southeast coach Gary Garner. "I don't think we played very well, but to come back like that, it's big."

Asked what the victory might mean for the Indians in the big picture of the OVC race, Garner said, "It's way too early to even think about that. There is still a lot of basketball left to be played. But, if we do end up doing something, we probably will be able to look back to this one.

"We could have really been buried if we had lost tonight. Now, if we win Monday (at Eastern Kentucky), we're really right back in it (the OVC race)."

Michael Stokes, after a sluggish first half that saw him score just three points, was brilliant the rest of the way as he sparked the Southeast comeback and finished with 26 points and five assists. The Indians' stellar point guard hit all four of his 3-point attempts.

"You have to always stay positive, even when you get down," said Stokes. "We knew we just had to take it one stop at a time."

Antonio Short added 16 points for the Indians as he hit three of five 3-pointers. Emmanuel McCuthison was also in double figures with 10 points.

MSU got 25 points from freshman standout Ricky Minard. Kyle Umberger and Iker Lopez each scored 16 points and Lopez grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

After scoring the game's first basket, the Indians went into a lengthy funk and fell behind 30-14 with just over five minutes left in the opening half. They trailed 32-22 at the intermission.

Southeast pulled to within eight points early in the second half but it wasn't long before MSU stretched its lead to 17 at 50-33. The Eagles appeared poised to not only snap their six-game losing streak to the Indians, but to obliterate it.

"We were so flat," said Garner. "You keep searching for answers, but I didn't really know what we could do."

But all of a sudden, the Indians kicked their game up a few notches. At the same time, the Eagles went ice cold, going more than six minutes without a point during one stretch.

Down 52-38 at about the midway point of the period, six quick points by Stokes -- he hit three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt and then nailed a 3-pointer -- pulled the Indians to within 52-44.

MSU went back ahead 54-44. But Tim Scheer, continuing to provide solid offense off the bench, scored six straight points, on two free throws, a driving shot and a 15-footer. The Eagles' lead was down to 54-50 with 5:30 left.

After Stokes made one of two free throws, Short buried a 3-pointer at the 4:32 mark and the Indians had caught the Eagles at 54-54.

Short made one of two foul shots with 4:16 left to put Southeast up 55-54. It was the Indians' first lead since 2-0.

With 3:40 remaining, Short scored on a drive, capping runs of 13-0 and 24-4 as the Indians moved ahead 57-54.

Southeast grabbed a 60-56 lead after a Stokes 3-pointer at the 1:55 mark.

A conventional three-point play by Minard made it 60-59, but Stokes nailed an acrobatic shot in the lane to make it 62-59 with 1:20 remaining.

MSU, however, tied it with 30 seconds left when Minard drilled a long 3-pointer. His original 3-point attempt was blocked by Drew DeMond one of DeMond's five blocks on the night but the ball came right back to Minard and he immediately swished the second try.

Stokes dribbled out almost all of the remaining time and missed a 15-footer at the buzzer, sending the squads to overtime knotted at 62-62.

Minard gave the Eagles the lead just 30 seconds into the five-minute extra session when he made two of three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer.

Stokes tied it at 64 with a jumper, then DeMond hit two free throws for a 66-64 Southeast lead at the 3:20 mark.

After MSU tied it at 66, reserve Daniel Weaver hit a 12-foot baseline jumper with 2:28 left to put Southeast up 68-66.

Minard canned a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining as MSU surged back ahead 69-68.

Weaver then came through again, making two free throws at the 1:28 mark as the Indians grabbed a 70-69 lead. They would not trail again.

"Daniel Weaver came up big for us in overtime," Garner said.

With under 20 seconds left, DeMond came through with a huge block, rejecting Minard as he drove to the basket. DeMond grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 16 seconds remaining. He made both free throws to put Southeast up 72-69.