OTAHKS HOPE TO END 6-GAME SKID AGAINST OAKLAND CITY

Southeast Missouri State University women's basketball coach Ed Arnzen hopes a Division II team will be just what the doctor ordered for the Otahkians.

The Otahkians, who have lost six straight games after winning their season opener, take on Oakland City (Ind.) in a 7 o'clock tipoff tonight at the Show Me Center.

"We just need a win right now," said Southeast coach Ed Arnzen, whose squad will be playing just its second home game of the season tonight. "When you're 1-6, you don't take anything for granted. But we need to win this one badly."

While Arnzen is disappointed with Southeast's record, he points out that the Otahkians have actually played well for much of the season so far, save for a surprising one-point loss to Missouri-Kansas City in the only other home game to date.

But the Otahkians have been faced with a rugged early schedule that featured two of the Ohio Valley Conference's top teams on the road to begin league play.

Southeast dropped narrow decisions to OVC powers Tennessee Tech and Middle Tennessee. The Otahkians lost to Tech 65-61 Thursday and fell to Middle 85-81 in overtime Saturday.

In non-conference play, the Otahkians have lost to national power Louisiana Tech, along with strong squads Arkansas State and Nevada-Las Vegas.

"I'm not disappointed in the way we're playing. We're playing hard and pretty well. I'm just disappointed that we're losing," said Arnzen. "I probably overscheduled early, and we just happened to have to play the two best OVC teams on the road to start conference play.

"The only game we've played poorly was the UMKC game. Other than that, we've played well. We just haven't been winning."

Arnzen said he still has confidence in the Otahkians, who went 19-9 last season and have been picked to contend for the OVC title this season.

"I feel good about this team," he said. "My biggest concern is, if you hit your head against the wall enough, your head begins to soften. Just because we've been losing, I don't want us to get soft."

While Arnzen said tonight's opponent is a respectable Division II team, the Otahkians figure to break their losing streak against Oakland City, a squad they defeated 81-53 last season.

"They've got some starters back from last season and they've got some good players," Arnzen said of the Mighty Oaks. "We can't take them lightly. It's a game in which we need to right ourselves. We need to win this one badly."

Following tonight's contest, Southeast will host Indiana State Friday night and then won't have another game until Jan. 3.