Redhawks drop first exhibition game to Spartans

~ Southeast lost 81-76 to hot-shooting Missouri Baptist, an NAIA school

A hot-shooting Missouri Baptist women's basketball team spoiled Southeast Missouri State's exhibition opener.

But coach John Ishee and his players don't believe that foreshadows another dismal season.

The Redhawks were fairly upbeat following Thursday night's 81-76 loss to the NAIA squad in front of an announced crowd of 559 at the Show Me Center.

"It's definitely disappointing to lose, but we're way ahead of where we were last year. And we can only go up," returning sophomore guard/forward Katie Norman said.

Added returning sophomore forward Patricia Mack: "I think we did good. We know what to expect now. We just have to play better as a team and communicate better."

Ishee said he knew Missouri Baptist, which went 17-13 last year and ranked 13th nationally in scoring at nearly 80 points per game, would provide a big challenge.

"I'm a bad scheduler because I think they're a good team. They were the better team tonight," said Ishee, whose squad went 7-21 a year ago and finished last in the Ohio Valley Conference. "But winning an exhibition game is not the end all. We played everybody.

"We did some good things. We played with a lot of heart. We just have to play with more smarts."

Things were tight early, with four ties and five lead changes, before the Spartans went ahead for good midway through the first half.

Missouri Baptist led 44-37 at halftime and pushed the margin to 55-41 early in the second half. The Spartans then fended off several Southeast rallies.

"They were a pretty good team," Norman said.

The Spartans killed Southeast with their shooting. They hit 55.9 percent from the field (24 of 43), 50 percent from 3-point range (10 of 20) and 74.2 percent from the free-throw line (23 of 31).

"We didn't do a lot of good things defensively. Give them credit," Ishee said. "The difference in the game was transition defense. We gave them too many open shots."

Southeast shot 38 percent from the field (30 of 79), 25 percent from 3-point range (3 of 12) and 68.4 percent from the charity stripe (13 of 19).

Missouri Baptist's huge edge from beyond the arc and at the line negated Southeast advantages in several areas.

The Redhawks outrebounded Missouri Baptist 43-34 while forcing 30 turnovers and committing 20. Southeast outscored the visitors 30-8 in the paint, 25-15 off turnovers and 23-9 on second-chance opportunities.

"We were so quick to shoot the ball offensively," Ishee said.

Norman led Southeast with 21 points, 17 in the second half. She made 2 of 3 from beyond the arc while the rest of the team was 1 of 9. Norman also grabbed six rebounds and had three steals.

Mack had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Returning sophomore guard Erika Lane made all five of her field-goal attempts and added 10 points.

Returning sophomore forward Brittany Harriel contributed six points, eight rebounds and six steals.

Senior guard Megan Payton paced Missouri Baptist with 24 points, 16 in the second half. She hit 12 of 14 free throws.

"They didn't miss any free throws," Mack said.

After falling behind 55-41 early in the final period, the Redhawks closed to 78-74 on Norman's 3-pointer with 1 minute, 12 seconds left.

After a Missouri Baptist free throw, Southeast had several opportunities to draw closer but failed to capitalize.

"We had our chances," Ishee said.

The Spartans iced the victory by making two free throws with 17 seconds left for an 81-74 advantage.

Sophomore guard Jasmine Davis, Southeast's top scorer last season, played eight minutes, all in the first half.

Davis, who averaged 10 points but played in only 13 contests before a torn ACL ended her freshman season, is being eased back into game action.

"She looked pretty good, but we just want to take it slow," Ishee said.

Southeast finishes its two-game home exhibition schedule at 7 p.m. Monday against NAIA Bethel (Tenn.) before opening the season Nov. 12 against Sam Houston State in the Mississippi tournament.

While Ishee didn't seem disturbed by Thursday's loss, he doesn't discount the importance of winning Monday.

"I think we need to win a game because this team hasn't had a lot of success," Ishee said.