SE WOMEN CRUSHED IN FINAL GAME

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- The season for Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team came to a crashing halt here Tuesday night in the opening round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

Second-seeded Middle Tennessee scored 20 of the game's first 24 points, led 39-12 at halftime and rolled past the seventh-seeded Otahkians 76-57.

The Lady Raiders (18-10) advance to Saturday's tourney semifinals in Nashville, Tenn., where they will face sixth-seeded Austin Peay. The Lady Govs upset third-seeded Tennessee-Martin 90-60 Tuesday.

Southeast finishes a disappointing season with an 11-17 record.

Jamie Thomatis and Kelly Chastain led a balanced MTSU offensive attack with 15 points apiece. Joanne Aluka added 14 points while Erica Lufkin contributed 12.

Paula Corder-King ended her impressive Southeast career by scoring a game-high 20 points. Freshman LaShelle Porter was the Otahkians' only other double-figure scorer with 12 points.

The Otahkians got off to a miserable shooting start that basically buried them early. Southeast hit just four of 25 first-half shots, a woeful 16 percent. The Otahkians improved in the second half and finished at 34 percent for the game on 22 of 65.

MTSU shot 54 percent in the first half on 14 of 26 and sizzled to 61 percent in the second half on 14 of 23. The Lady Raiders' final totals were 28 of 49 for an impressive 57 percent.

From 3-point range, Southeast hit just four of 20 (20 percent) while MTSU was six of 11 (55 percent).