Loss at Austin Peay costs Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team berth in OVC tourney

~ Southeast missed the OVC tournament for the second consecutive season

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team ended a second straight season without an Ohio Valley Conference tournament berth.

That was assured Saturday night when the Redhawks dropped their final game, 71-51 to Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn.

Southeast still would have made the eight-team tournament even with the loss as long as Eastern Kentucky beat Murray State. But the Racers won to claim the eighth and final tournament berth.

The Redhawks, who lost their final six games of the season, finish 8-21 overall and 4-14 in the OVC. They wound up ninth in the 10-team league.

Two-time defending OVC tournament champion Austin Peay (13-17, 12-6), which finished fifth in the league, had control most of the way. The Governors led 39-26 at halftime.

"I thought we competed really hard. We gave a great effort," Southeast coach John Ishee said.

Sophomore forward Brittany Harriel had a strong performance for Southeast, posting a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

"Brittany had an outstanding game," Ishee said.

Sophomore guard Erika Lane added 11 points for Southeast, which shot 40.4 percent from the field and had 21 turnovers.

Meghan Bussabarger paced the Govs with 14 points. Austin Peay shot 46.7 percent and only had nine turnovers.

"Austin Peay played very well offensively," Ishee said.

Southeast, without a senior and riddled by injury and illness to many of its top players, tied the program record for losses in a season, matching last year's squad that went 7-21 overall and a last-place 4-14 in the OVC.

The only other Southeast team to lose 21 games was the 1996-97 unit, which had been the previous Southeast squad to miss the OVC tournament before the past two seasons.

Now Ishee will await his fate after finishing his fifth season at Southeast. He was working on a one-year contract extension received after his original four-year contract expired following last season.

Ishee said he has been given no indication that he won't be back but also hasn't been told that he will be asked to return.

"I haven't been told anything," Ishee said.

Ishee said he would like to continue coaching the Redhawks and believes their future is bright despite the records of the past two seasons.

"I think we've got a nice developing team when we get everybody healthy," he said. "I think we're a top four team in the league if we're healthy. I think we're headed in the right direction, but my situation is out of my control."