MOST AT GAME BACKED SEMO

SALT LAKE CITY -- Thirty hours with no sleep.

A 1,500-mile trip.

Two airplane tickets, two basketball tickets and a baby-sitter for four days.

On top of that, Erica Anderson and her husband got lost twice.

But for Erica's Southeast Missouri State Indians, it was all worth it.

Anderson, a resident of Cape Girardeau, was one of about 200 Southeast fans who were able to attend the Indians' first-ever NCAA Tournament game, a 64-61 heartbreaking loss to fourth-seeded Louisiana State University.

"Oh yeah, it was definitely worth it," said Anderson, who had a Southeast logo painted on her cheek. "It's the opportunity of a lifetime."

An opportunity of a lifetime that took some wrong turns.

She and her husband took off from St. Louis at 8 a.m. Thursday and arrived at Salt Lake City at about 11. But they got lost twice in the city and didn't even have time to check into a hotel before the game started.

"I was doing my makeup in McDonald's," she said. "And I haven't slept for 30 hours."

But the game, which was much closer than many expected, definitely kept her awake as the Huntsman Center, which seats almost 15,000, was nearly full.

Even though there were only about 200 true Southeast fans in attendance, the Indians 14-point underdogs had the majority of fans on their side by the time the game was over.

But in the end after Southeast held several leads late in the second half LSU's Brian Beshara hit a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left, and Southeast's Roderick Johnson had a 3-point attempt rim out with two seconds left as the Indians' season ended.

"I'm sick," said Julie Bumpus, a disappointed Southeast fan. "But it was definitely worth the trip. I'm very proud. I couldn't be more proud."

Added Dave Bumpus, Julie's husband, "They laid it all on the line. (Johnson's) shot looked good from here."

Russ Mothershead, a Benton resident, was also proud, not just from a fan's point of view but from a former player's.

"It's worth it," Mothershead said of taking time off from work and paying for the expenses. "I played for SEMO back in the '70s when it was Division II. It's a dream come true to get to this. This is the first time I've been to the Big Dance.' It's hard to put a value on what this could mean for the school."

Obviously, Mothershead was proud of the Indians and what they accomplished on the court this season, a season which included the school's first Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

But Mothershead was just as proud of the way the team handled itself off the court.

"At the hotel," he said, "our waitress went on and on bragging about our team and how well-mannered they were. They're a great representatives and ambassadors to this school. You have to give credit to Garner and his staff for recruiting good kids like that."