OTAHKS SURRENDER IN SEMIS; TECH ENDS SE's SEASON IN OVC SEMIFINALS 73-62

Southeast guard Rusty Sowers made a pass behind the back of Tennessee Tech's Diane Seng during Saturday's OVC Tournament semifinal game.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team won the battle but lost the war Saturday.

As a result, the Otahkians' best-ever Division I season is over.

Despite shutting down Tennessee Tech's two leading scorers, the fourth-seeded Otahkians fell to the top-seeded Golden Eaglettes 73-62 in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at the Nashville Arena.

Tech (20-8) advances to today's 4:30 p.m. championship game against third-seeded Tennessee-Martin (21-7), which defeated seventh-seeded Tennessee State (13-15) 69-67 in Saturday's other semifinal.

Southeast, which never before had advanced to the OVC tourney semifinals, ends the season with a 19-9 record, the best since the school made the move up to Division I eight years ago.

"We had a wonderful season," said Southeast coach Ed Arnzen. "It's disappointing to lose, but we made great strides with our program and our players have a lot to be proud of."

Arnzen's goal Saturday was to try and contain Tech's two talented inside players, Diane Seng and Janet Holt, who average 28 points between them.

The Otahkians did more than contain Seng and Holt -- they totally shut down the Eaglettes' stars, holding the duo to a combined two points -- both by Holt.

But, with Seng and Holt in foul trouble much of the game, Amber Clark and Colin Charmichael came off the bench to burn Southeast.

Clark, averaging eight points per game, poured in a game-high 24. Charmichael, averaging seven points a contest, added 16. They combined to hit 14 of 28 shots from the field and 12 of 14 free throws.

"We wanted to sag in the middle and double-team the post, which opens up the outside," Arnzen said. "We gambled they wouldn't hit the outside shot and in the first half they didn't. But they shot extremely well in the second half.

"Clark and Charmichael came off the bench and played really well. I did know they are that good. It was not an accident. Tech has the best inside players in the league, not just their starters but also the girls they bring off the bench."

Tech coach Bill Worrell had seen enough sagging defenses all season to know that some Eaglettes other than Seng and Holt would have to step up.

"We've seen that kind of defense all year," he said. "What you saw was us take advantage of it. Our other post players did a great job."

Said Clark, "Diane is our big gun. Everybody tries to focus on her. They were leaving the high post open."

Rachel Gobble added 16 points for Tech while Leah Bird contributed 10.

Paula Corder hit eight of 10 shots and paced the Otahkians with 20 points. She made three of four 3-pointers and also hit her only free throw to extend her OVC record for consecutive foul shots made to 39.

Pam Iversen scored 12 points for the Otahkians while Moneik Campbell added 10.

Tech outrebounded Southeast 40 to 32 as Charmichael grabbed a game-high 10 boards.

The Eaglettes also had a significant edge from the foul line even though the Otahkians entered the game as one of the nation's top free-throw shooting teams. Tech hit 24 of 29 foul shots (83 percent) while Southeast was 13 of 21 (62 percent).

Southeast got off to a strong start, scoring the game's first nine points. Tech, which did not get on the board until nearly six minutes had elapsed, also trailed 12-2.

"We got off to a great start," said Arnzen. "We shot the ball well and played good defense."

Said Worrell, "I thought we rushed the whole first half. I thought we'd eventually settle down, but give SEMO credit. They're always well prepared and well coached."

Tech used a 12-2 run to pull into a 14-14 tie and things remained close the rest of the first half.

Trailing 27-21 late, the Otahkians scored the half's final seven points, Corder's 3-pointer with 30 seconds left putting Southeast up 28-27 at the break.

Southeast grabbed its biggest lead of the second half as Corder's 15-footer made it 37-32 with 16:39 remaining.

But Tech dominated the rest of the way, using a 17-1 run to take control for good.

Clark's 15-footer with 14:30 left gave Tech a 38-37 lead that it would not relinquish.

When Clark scored on a drive with 10:25 remaining, the Eaglettes had a 48-38 advantage.

The Otahkians, from the time they went ahead 37-32, scored only one point in the next seven minutes as they ultimately fell behind 52-40.

Southeast made a run to pull within 54-49 on two Iversen foul shots with 5:42 left.

But Gobble hit a basket and free throw just 27 seconds later to make it 57-49 and the Eaglettes were never in danger again. They led by as many as 14 points in the closing seconds.

"I thought we played hard, but in the second half we didn't move as much on offense," Arnzen said. "Maybe I didn't substitute as much as I should have early and our legs were tired."

Tech, after shooting just 29 percent in the first half, sizzled at a 56-percent clip in the second half.

Rusty Sowers, one of Southeast's four seniors, said the loss hurt deeply. But eventually, she and her teammates will realize just how great a season they had.

"It's hard to think about that right now," she said. "But when I reflect on it, I'll be happy with the season."