OTAHKS STUN MIDDLE TENNESSEE WITH 74-73 OVERTIME VICTORY

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team has been struggling all season, but you couldn't tell it by what happened here Saturday.

The Otahkians, coming off a 74-50 non-conference loss to Oral Roberts Wednesday night, stunned Ohio Valley Conference power Middle Tennessee State 74-73 in overtime.

Southeast improved to 4-10 overall and 2-4 in OVC play. MTSU is 5-11 overall, 3-3 in the conference.

"It's just a tremendous win for us," said an elated Southeast coach Ed Arnzen. "We came here at an opportune time because they had two key girls injured. But we still had to step up."

Freshman Sarah Frazier led Southeast offensively with 20 points and it was her conventional three-point play with 22 seconds in regulation that tied the contest at 64-64 and forced overtime.

"I almost think Sarah doesn't have a conscience sometimes," said Arnzen with a laugh. "She stepped right up and made some great plays."

Jamie Koester scored 19 points, pulled down 20 rebounds and had six of the Otahkians' 10 points in overtime. The 20 rebounds mark the second-highest total in Southeast history.

"Jamie got very little break tonight (Koester played 35 minutes), but she played a tremendous game," Arnzen said. "She was all over the glass. Getting 20 rebounds is unbelievable."

Dana Hawkins added 12 points and it was her two free throws with 1:51 left in overtime that put the Otahkians ahead for good at 72-71.

MTSU got 18 points from Jonelda Buck, 16 from Cortney Neeley and 12 from Jessica Beaty and 10 from Natalie Sneed.

The Otahkians did not shoot well from the field (26 of 78, 36 percent) or the free-throw line (nine of 19, 47 percent), but they pounded the glass with a 56-42 rebounding edge.

"We played really hard and I thought we had marvelous play from three freshmen," said Arnzen, citing Frazier, center ChyAnne Kapitzke and point guard Moneik Campbell. "They really stepped up in key situations. Moneik handled our offense well."

Southeast built several seven-point leads in the first half before settling for a 31-26 advantage at the intermission.

The Lady Raiders quickly pulled ahead early in the second half and the lead changed hands several times. Southeast's led 48-46 when MTSU used a 5-0 run to go ahead 51-48.

MTSU built its lead to 62-56 on two Beaty free throws with 3:56 left, but the Otahkians refused to buckle. A Koester 3-pointer with 2:25 remaining pulled the Otahkians to within 62-61.

The Otahkians trailed 64-61 with under a minute left, but they came up with a steal that led to Frazier's drive in the lane with 22 seconds left. She was fouled and converted the three-point play for a 64-64 tie. It was on to overtime.

Southeast scored the first basket of overtime on a fast-break layup by Koester and the Otahkians led for all but a few seconds of the extra period.

MTSU went ahead 71-70 on Sneed's 3-pointer with 1:58 left. But Southeast regained the lead for good just seven seconds later when Hawkins made two free throws.

Koester's driving layup with 1:08 remaining put the Otahkians ahead 74-71.

Buck pulled the Lady Raiders to within 74-73. Then Southeast missed two shots. And when MTSU's Chanda Bowman was fouled with 18 seconds left, the Lady Raiders had a chance to go back on top.

But Bowman missed the front end and then the Otahkians were surprisingly able to run out the clock when no Lady Raider could catch up to a Southeast player with the basketball.