Nixon reaches 1,000-point club in win

MARTIN, Tenn. -- Tarina Nixon never has cared much about individual accomplishments.

But Southeast Missouri State's senior guard acknowledged that joining the 1,000-point club was a good feeling.

Nixon became only the 16th player in the history of Southeast women's basketball to reach that career milestone.

Nixon needed four points Thursday against Tennessee-Martin. She got that in the first four minutes and finished with 19 points as the Redhawks won 62-54.

"It's cool. It's pretty nice," the soft-spoken Nixon said.

Nixon followed her senior teammate, wing Sonya Daugherty, in joining the 1,000-point club this season. Daugherty attained the feat last week.

"Those two have been as invaluable for us off the floor as on the floor," Southeast coach John Ishee said. "Those will be two hard sets of shoes to fill after this season."

As a four-year starter who has been among Southeast's key players for most of her career, it's not a surprise that Nixon hit the 1,000-point milestone.

In addition, Nixon ranks among the program's career top 10 in several other categories.

Nixon is second in 3-point baskets with 152 -- 22 behind all-time leader Julie Meier, who is well within Nixon's reach -- fifth in steals (165) and 10th in assists (265).

"She's a special player, no question," Ishee said. "If you went back and tracked her performances in big games ... she's a great all-around player."

But Ishee emphasized that Nixon's contributions to the program go beyond statistics.

"All the intangible things she's brought in helping us win championships," Ishee said. "And she's played through a lot of injuries, whether it be chronic back problems or the injury to her shooting hand she's battled for over a year."

Nixon is the only current Southeast player to receive significant minutes on the 2005-06 team that won the program's first Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles while making the program's first NCAA Division I tournament appearance.

Those accomplishments later were wiped off the books by NCAA rules violations committed before Ishee took over as coach.

Nixon and the Redhawks bounced back to win OVC regular-season and tournament titles in 2006-07 for their second straight NCAA tournament berth, then made it a three-peat with last year's OVC regular-season crown.

"I'm very happy, very proud of my career, and humble at the same time," said Nixon, a native of the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert, Ariz. "I've had great teammates. They make it easy."

The Redhawks aren't currently in first place, but they are close enough to the top that another OVC regular-season championship still is alive.

Then, of course, there is the opportunity for another NCAA tournament berth if the Redhawks can win the OVC tournament title.

"We definitely want those things," Nixon said.