OTAHKS REMAIN IN OVC's SCRAMBLE

The regular season is fast winding down and Southeast Missouri State University women's basketball coach Ed Arnzen sees this week as one that will likely determine his team's fate in the Ohio Valley Conference race.

"This is the week that was," said Arnzen with a laugh. "We have to stand tall this week because it will dictate how a lot of teams finish, including us."

Southeast will have three games at the Show Me Center this week, starting with tonight's 5:30 contest against Tennessee State. The Otahkians will also entertain Middle Tennessee Thursday and Tennessee Tech Saturday.

Middle Tennessee and Tennessee Tech join Southeast as being three of the five teams in a logjam near the top of the OVC standings. All five are so close that any of them could still win the championship -- and any of them could still not gain a first-round postseason tournament game. The top four finishers are at home for the opening round of the league tourney.

"The top five are so close, it can still go so many different ways," Arnzen said. "Any of the five can finish first and any of the five could be on the road (for the first round of the OVC tourney)."

Middle Tennessee is in first place in the 10-team league with a 10-2 record, one game ahead of Southeast and Tennessee Tech, who are tied for second at 9-3. Tennessee-Martin and Eastern Kentucky are each one more game back at 8-4.

But Arnzen warns that his squad cannot afford to look ahead to the Thursday and Saturday games against teams the Otahkians are battling for league supremacy. If they do, then Tennessee State -- tonight's foe -- is more than capable of pulling off an upset.

The Lady Tigers have picked up steam in recent weeks and have climbed into sixth place at 5-6. TSU is 10-9 overall; Southeast has a 14-6 overall record.

"Tennessee State has been playing a lot better lately and they are very capable of coming in here and beating us," said Arnzen.

Southeast had a strong performance when the teams met earlier this season in Nashville as the Otahkians prevailed 63-48 on Dec. 5.

"We played very well," said Arnzen. "It was probably one of our better games of the season."

Tennessee State's two most dangerous players are senior guards Schronda Moore and Cari Hassell, who both average about 16 points per game.

"They are both very dangerous outside threats and Tennessee State is good enough at other positions that you can't give much help (on Moore and Hassell," Arnzen said.

Southeast's top scorer is junior-college transfer Paula Corder at 14 points per game. Also in double figures are senior guard Rusty Sowers (12.3 ppg) and freshman center Pam Iversen (11.6 ppg). Iversen leads the Otahkians in rebounding (7.5 rpg).

The Otahkians will be looking to remain perfect at home this season as they are 9-0 at the Show Me Center. They'll also be looking to close in on the most wins they have ever recorded on the Division I level. Southeast went 16-12 in 1991-92 and 16-11 in 1993-94.

In addition, the Otahkians' next OVC victory will mark the most league wins they have had since joining the conference eight years ago. Southeast went 9-7 in both 1993-94 and 1995-96.

Arnzen sees the keys to the game as keeping the Lady Tigers away from the offensive boards and limiting their fast-break opportunities.

"Tennessee State does a good job of offensive rebounding and rebounding has been a problem for us all year," he said. "We have to keep them off the boards and also stop their fast break."