Otahks strive for five wins in a row

There are still plenty of games left to be played, but there is no denying the importance of today's Ohio Valley Conference women's basketball matchup between Southeast Missouri State University and Austin Peay.

Entering the 3:30 p.m. tipoff at the Show Me Center, the Otahkians (12-6, 4-3 OVC) and Lady Governors (11-7, 4-3) are tied for third place in the nine-team league, with Morehead State lurking just one-half game behind. The top four finishers in the final standings earn home games for the first round of the conference tournament.

"The way it appears right now, it could be a battle for anywhere from third through fifth place, so it's a very big game," said Southeast coach Ed Arnzen. "But there are a lot of games left and I think the league is balanced enough that there will be some upsets."

Southeast is riding a four-game winning streak, including three straight in OVC play. But the Otahkians will be looking for their first quality conference victory at home as they have already dropped Show Me Center matchups against first-place Eastern Kentucky, second-place Tennessee Tech and Morehead State.

"We haven't been able to beat one of the better teams at home yet and this is another opportunity for us," Arnzen said.

But Arnzen knows winning today will be a difficult chore. The Lady Govs were surprise winners of last year's OVC Tournament and, with four returning starters, were picked to finish second in the league this season.

"They're an experienced, veteran team and they shoot the ball well," Arnzen said.

The Lady Govs are led by junior guard Brooke Armistead, who is second in the league in scoring with 21.5 points per game.

Other double-figure scorers for Austin Peay are junior forward Shatika Hutcherson (15.4 ppg), sophomore center Gerlonda Hardin (14.3 ppg) and junior guard Paige Smith (10.7 ppg).

For Southeast, junior forward Lori Chase leads the way with 16.2 points per game.

mmishow@semissourian.com

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