OTAHKS SUFFER A FAST FINISH

RICHMOND, Ky. -- Sunday afternoon's women's basketball game between Southeast Missouri State University and host Eastern Kentucky was basically over almost as soon as it began.

The powerful Lady Colonels scored the game's first 15 points and never looked back as they hammered the Otahkians 81-44.

Southeast fell to 5-17 overall and 3-11 in Ohio Valley Conference play as the Otahkians remained in last place in the 10-team league.

EKU improved to 17-5 and a first-place 12-2 in the OVC.

"Eastern Kentucky has a very good basketball team," said Southeast coach Ed Arnzen. "They're leading the league, so that tells you the type of club they have."

Shannon Browning led the Lady Colonels with 16 points. Chrissy Roberts scored 14 and Laphelia Doss added 13.

Jamie Koester was the Otahkians' lone double-figure scorer with 12 points. Sarah Frazier had eight points.

It was 15-0 a little more than four minutes into the game when the Otahkians finally got on the scoreboard with a Jamie Wahlert basket.

But the Lady Colonels soon stretched their lead to 19-2 and they were ahead 42-19 at halftime. EKU led by as many as 40 points in the second half before Southeast closed the gap a bit in the late going.

Southeast shot just 25 percent from the field (15 of 59) and also had 22 turnovers. EKU hit 55 percent of its shots (30 of 55).

"We got behind big early and we just never could get anything going," said Arnzen.

The Otahkians thus completed their longest OVC road trip of the season at 0-2 as they prepare for a pair of home contests. Southeast will take on Tennessee Tech Saturday and Middle Tennessee State the following Monday.