Redhawks claim their first NCAA bid with win over Tennessee Tech

~ After last year's heartbreaking loss in the final, Southeast wins going away.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- This time there was no denying Southeast Missouri State.

And it wasn't even close.

The Redhawks rode a devastating second half to their first-ever NCAA Division I tournament berth, routing Tennessee Tech 71-50 in Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference tournament final.

"It feels great," said senior center Tatiana Conceicao, the tournament most valuable player. "That's about all I can say right now."

For the Redhawks, their first OVC tournament crown served to wipe out the lingering memory of last year's heartbreak, when they lost to Eastern Kentucky in a double-overtime final -- after the Colonels hit a tying shot at the regulation buzzer.

"Last year we were so disappointed, and now to win this year ... it's a little hard to describe," senior forward Natalie Purcell said.

Added senior forward Simone Jackson, "I can't even explain it. I'm so happy. It's something we've been working on all year."

Second-seeded Southeast (22-8) and top-seeded Tech (22-8) shared the OVC regular-season title -- the Redhawks' first OVC crown -- and the teams split their two meetings, with each squad winning on the opponent's home court.

That set up Saturday's much anticipated meeting on the neutral floor of the Gaylord Entertainment Center -- and for the first half at least it did not disappoint.

There were 10 lead changes and five ties during the opening 20 minutes, as no team was ahead by more than five points.

The Eaglettes, the most successful women's basketball program in the history of the OVC, carried a 32-31 advantage into the break.

"The first half, and the first of the second half, I thought this was going to come down to the last few minutes of the game," Southeast coach B.J. Smith said.

Especially after Tech grabbed a 37-31 lead in the opening two minutes of the final period, marking the game's biggest lead to that point.

But Smith also revealed that he told his players at halftime, "If we can just guard them, we'll win by 20."

Said a smiling Purcell, "He really said that."

It came true, with a point added on, as Southeast put together a run that lasted virtually the entire second half and crushed the Eaglettes.

Southeast scored 13 straight points to go ahead 44-37. The burst was interrupted by a Tech free throw, but six straight Southeast points followed.

In a little more than 7 minutes, the Redhawks had outscored the Eaglettes 19-1, as they opened up a 50-38 lead with under 12 minutes remaining.

And the Redhawks, keyed by a smothering defense and a sharp offense, kept pouring it on.

When senior backup guard Katrisha Dunn buried a 3-pointer with 5:45 remaining, it capped an incredible 30-4 run and put Southeast up 61-41.

It was basically time to start celebrating, as Tech got no closer than 17 points, and the Redhawks opened up a pair of 23-point leads.

"It was nice to not have to sweat it out in the last few minutes," said Smith, whose squad had an overall 40-18 second-half advantage.

Jackson agreed.

"If we had won by a point, it would have been just as good," she said. "But we left no doubt. It was nice."

Conceicao scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. She had 78 points in the three tournament contests.

Jackson added 10 points, and junior backup center Lachelle Lyles contributed nine points and 10 rebounds as she joined Conceicao on the all-tournament team.

Lyles, who hit all four of her field-goal attempts and grabbed eight offensive rebounds, scored five straight points during a stretch when the Redhawks broke the game wide open.

"We had so many people contribute," Smith said.

Tech senior center Emily Christian, the OVC player of the year -- Conceicao won the award last season -- had 26 points, but only eight in the second half and just five over the final 19 minutes.

After hitting seven of 13 shots from the field in the first half, Christian made just three of 12 in the final period. Conceicao primarily guarded Christian, with Lyles also taking a crack at her.

"I think she got a little tired," Conceicao said. "We were really making her work for her shots."

The second-half statistics for each team pretty well told the story of the game.

Tech shot 58.3 percent in the first half, but only 23.1 percent in the second half, to finish at 40 percent. The Eaglettes made one of eight 3-pointers in the final period, after hitting three of five in the opening 20 minutes.

Southeast shot 40.6 percent in the first half, and 50 percent in the second half, to finish at 45 percent. The Redhawks made five of 10 3-pointers in the final period, after hitting three of 13 in the opening 20 minutes.

The Redhawks also dominated the boards in the second half, outrebounding the Eaglettes 28-12, after Southeast held a 15-14 edge on the glass in the first half. Southeast had 18 offensive rebounds to just eight for Tech.

"I thought defense was the key in the second half," Smith said. "We also hit the boards, and our shot selection was better."

And now the Redhawks are headed to the "Big Dance" of the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time.