Redhawks seek OVC coronation on road

~ Southeast can at least win a share of the title tonight at Jacksonville State.

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- All that stands in the way of Southeast Missouri State's women winning at least a share of their second straight Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship is the team tied for last place in the league.

The Redhawks (20-7, 15-4) don't plan on letting Jacksonville State (7-21, 4-15) ruin their party when the squads square off at 5 p.m. today in Jacksonville, Ala.

"We'll be focused and ready to play," said Southeast senior center Lachelle Lyles, the nation's leading rebounder.

Southeast and Murray State are tied at the top of the conference heading into the final date of the regular season.

The Racers face what on paper is a more daunting task when they play at Tennessee-Martin, which has lost just one OVC home game all season.

But no matter what happens in Martin, Tenn., the Redhawks know if they beat JSU, they have repeated as OVC champions and will enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed, based on winning both meetings with Murray State.

Southeast also shared the OVC regular-season title last year -- the program's first -- with Tennessee Tech, before the Redhawks went on to capture their initial OVC tournament crown to make the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time.

"What this team has accomplished is phenomenal, and we're one win away from repeating as champions," said Southeast acting head coach John Ishee, whose squad will host a first-round OVC tournament game Tuesday night against an opponent yet to be determined.

The Redhawks posted their fifth straight win -- and second in a row on the road -- Thursday as they began their road trip to Alabama with a 66-58 victory at Samford.

Southeast improved to 5-4 in OVC road games after going 10-0 in league play at home.

"I think that's just the continued maturity of this team, learning how to play better on the road," Ishee said.

In addition to having an opportunity to attain a major team accomplishment today, Lyles is all but assured of placing her name in the OVC record book.

Lyles, averaging 17.2 rebounds per game, needs just two rebounds to break the conference single-season record of 448 set by Middle Tennessee State's Robin Hendrix in 1980-81.

Lyles also has a shot at the OVC's single-season standard for rebounding average of 17.4, set by Morehead State's Donna Murphy in 1976-77.

"Records are nice, but the main thing is for us to win and get this championship," said Lyles, who grabbed 24 rebounds and scored a career-high 17 points at Samford. It was her fifth straight double-double and 10th of the season.

Sophomore guard Tarina Nixon hit four of five 3-pointers and tied her career high with 22 points Thursday. Nixon ranks second in the OVC in 3-point accuracy at 41.4 percent.

Although JSU -- tied for the 10th and 11th spots in the 11-team OVC with Tennessee State -- has long been eliminated from contention for a berth in the conference tournament, the Gamecocks might not be pushovers.

JSU gave Southeast all it could handle on Dec. 17 in Cape Girardeau. The Gamecocks led by nine points with 11 minutes left before the Redhawks rallied for a 90-83 victory behind a career-high 36 points from junior forward Missy Whitney.

The Redhawks allowed a season-high point total in that contest.

JSU averages 68.8 points per game to rank fourth in the OVC, but the Gamecocks give up 77.8 points a contest, which places them last in the league.

"They can score in bunches," Ishee said. "We're playing to defend a championship. We can't take them lightly."

Not to worry, said Nixon, who is the only returning starter from last year's title team.

"No way," she said. "We've come too far."