Nixon's hot hand leads to victory over Buffalo

~ The Southeast guard hit five 3-pointers in a 61-50 road victory.

AMHERST, N.Y. -- The secret is out and the proof is now on tape.

If teams dare to let Southeast Missouri State guard Tarina Nixon beat them from beyond the arc, the 5-foot-6 sophomore will do just that. Just ask the University at Buffalo for the updated scouting report.

The Bulls found out the hard way what can happen when Nixon gets into a zone. She scored all of her team-high 15 points on three-pointers, as the Redhawks won their first nonconference road game in more than two years by beating Buffalo, 61-50, before 688 fans in Alumni Arena.

Southeast Missouri State's last nonconference road win came Dec. 1, 2004, at Southern Illinois, 77-56.

Nixon scored all of her points during the first half, and the Redhawks needed each one of them in order to jump ahead with leading scorer Missy Whitney (14.0 ppg) reduced to a cheerleader on the bench due to early foul trouble and the team's shooting woes from inside the arc (8 for 23).

"Tarina shooting the ball from the perimeter at the outset of the game kind of established we were going to be competitive in the game, and I think that springboarded us and carried us," Southeast acting head coach John Ishee said.

"I was yelling from the bench, telling her to keep shooting it," said Whitney, who scored all 10 of her points in the second-half, including five during a 9-0 run that enabled the Redhawks to thwart a Bulls rally after the hosts pulled within two, 38-36, 4:35 into the second half. "After she hit the first couple, I saw the confidence come back, so I was like 'Keep shooting, T.'"

Nixon drained five of eight shots from beyond the arc to stake Southeast to a 32-24 halftime lead. The Redhawks (7-4) made 50 percent of their shots in the second half to extend their winning streak to four games, while Buffalo (4-7) shot a dismal 19-for-55.

"I was [feeling it]," said Nixon, who shot 40.5 percent from beyond the arc last season. "These last few games, I've been in a slump. My coaches have just been telling me to shoot the ball. I hit my first few so that gave me the confidence to keep shooting."

"Based on film we've watched, we were very, very shocked that [she] knocked down five threes in the first half," said Buffalo coach Linda Hill-MacDonald, whose previous stops include Temple, Minnesota and the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers in her 21-year career. "Yes, she has hit some threes this year, but not like [Friday night]. She got into a zone. It happens with players. She knocked down some key shots for them in the first half."

Buffalo didn't have much film on Nixon because she hasn't been getting too much time in front of the camera early this season. Nixon has been battling a high ankle sprain she suffered in a Dec. 7 win at Tennessee State. The injury has limited her playing time and effectiveness when she does since shooting is all about having healthy legs.

Friday was a sign that she?s feeling much better and that the confidence that she had been lacking is back.

"A lot of people probably don?t give her the proper respect that I think she's earned in the Ohio Valley Conference in that she's one of the better guards in our league," Ishee said. "She looks to take big shots. She doesn't back down from big shots and I think the perimeter shots she hit early was a big confidence boost for us."

Buffalo junior Heather Turner scored a game-high 19 points and kept Lyles, who came into the game leading the nation with 16.1 rebound per game, to just 11. But Lyles grabbed four in the final 4:50 and scored seven of the team's final 10 points after UB had pulled within 51-47.