OTAHKS FACE CRUICIAL OVC GAME TONIGHT AT MOREHEAD STATE

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- When Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team began a stretch of three tough road games, coach Ed Arnzen figured winning two of them was a must.

That means the Otahkians face something of a must-win situation today when they face Morehead State in a 4:45 p.m. Ohio Valley Conference game at Johnson Arena.

The Otahkians started the road swing last Saturday when they rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to beat Eastern Illinois.

Then Monday, Southeast had the tables turned on it when Eastern Kentucky rallied from a late 10-point deficit to clip the Otahkians by a point.

Which brings us to today's contest against the Lady Eagles, who are 4-14 and 2-9 in OVC play after Thursday's 76-69 win over Eastern Illinois.

"We felt like we had to win two of these three road games," said Arnzen. "We knew how tough it would be to win at Eastern Kentucky, but we really let one slip away there. This one (today) is definitely a must-win game for us."

It is if the Otahkians hope to remain right on the heels of first place in the OVC.

The Otahkians, 13-6 overall, are 8-3 in OVC play, which has them in a three-way tie for second place in the 10-team league. Southeast is one game behind (Tenn.-Martin or Middle Tenn.), which is 9-2.

"The race is so tight and there is still so much basketball left to be played," Arnzen said. "But this is definitely a game we need to win to stay right there near the top."

Even though Morehead has struggled virtually all season, the Lady Eagles gave the Otahkians quite a battle before falling 65-58 on Jan. 4 at the Show Me Center. Southeast trailed by four points at halftime before rallying.

"They are a dangerous team that played us really tough at our place," said Arnzen. "We didn't play well that night and they jumped on us pretty early. We were still down at halftime but we were able to come back."

As disappointing as Monday's loss at Eastern Kentucky was -- Southeast led by 10 points with 4:55 left and by seven points with 3:19 left -- Arnzen said the mark of a good team is how it bounces back from such a setback.

"There is nothing we can do about that game and we just have to put it behind us," he said. "We can't look back, we have to look forward.

"We have to come back with a strong effort and get this win. Then we come back home for three games."

Southeast will start its three-game homestand Tuesday against Tennessee State. Middle Tennessee comes to town Thursday and Tennessee Tech completes the home series Saturday.