OTAHKS TRY TO STAY ATOP OVC STANDINGS

After a one-game break from Ohio Valley Conference play, Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team jumps back into the fray on the road today.

The Otahkians, who are now in a four-way tie for first place, take on Eastern Illinois in a 4:45 p.m. tipoff at Lantz Gym in Charleston, Ill.

Southeast, coming off a 70-57 loss at Belmont (Tenn.) Thursday night, is 12-5 overall and 7-2 in OVC play. Tennessee-Martin and Middle Tennessee, who both posted league victories Thursday, are all also 7-2 in the conference.

Eastern Illinois, 3-13 overall, is tied for last place in the 10-team OVC with a 1-8 mark. But Southeast coach Ed Arnzen, as he has emphasized all season, said the Otahkians cannot afford to overlook the Lady Panthers.

"I've said it all along, but it's really true. There is a lot of parity in the league and I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between the top teams or the bottom teams," said Arnzen. "Just ask Tennessee Tech."

Arnzen was referring to the Golden Eaglettes stunning loss at Tennessee State last Saturday.

"You have to be ready to play every night or you'll get beat," he said.

The Lady Panthers, a solid 10-8 in OVC play last season, were picked seventh in this year's league preseason poll -- one spot ahead of Southeast.

But the Lady Panthers has struggled, primarily because they lost four starters. The lone returning regular, however, is a good one in 6-foot-4 junior center Leah Aldrich, who leads the OVC in scoring at 20.1 points per game. She is also seventh in rebounding with 6.9 per contest and eighth in field-goal percentage at 52.8.

"She's a very good player, one of the best, if not the best, centers in the league," Arnzen said. "They're very inexperienced around here and I'm sure that's been one of their problems."

After Aldrich, Eastern Illinois' scoring drops off dramatically as no other player is even averaging seven points per game.

"We have to be ready to play very well because it's another big game for us," Arnzen said. "It's never easy to win on the road so we're expecting an extremely tough game."

The Otahkians have been able to hold their own in OVC road games so far this season, going 2-2. And they have swept their five conference home games.

"We've been able to protect our home turf so far, which is very important," said Arnzen, whose squad is 9-0 overall at home this season. "But to have a chance to win a conference championship, you have to be able to go on the road and win some games."

Southeast will certainly be tested in that regard over the next week. Following today's game, the Otahkians will have to make the long trek to Richmond, Ky., for a Monday night game against Eastern Kentucky. Then Southeast will have to make the even longer trip to Morehead, Ky., for a contest with Morehead State next Saturday.

"We're definitely going to have our work cut out for us the next few games," Arnzen said. "How we do in these games will be crucial to how well we fare in the (OVC) race."