SEMO WAGONS TRAVEL THROUGH `DEATH VALLEY'; INDIANS VISIT MOREHEAD STATE TONIGHT

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State University's 'Death Valley' trip is arguably its toughest of the Ohio Valley Conference season.

And that still figures to hold true, said Southeast coach Ron Shumate, even though the teams the Indians will meet on this long journey occupy the bottom of the OVC standings.

"It's always an extremely tough trip, no matter what the circumstances," said Shumate. "It's the longest (OVC) trip and it can really wear on you."

Tonight, some 400 miles from Cape Girardeau, the Indians will face Morehead State and embattled coach Dick Fick in a 6:45 tipoff.

Then Monday night, in Richmond, Ky., Southeast will take on Eastern Kentucky in a 6:30 contest.

"Both teams don't have very good records, but they're certainly capable," Shumate said. "We can't take anybody lightly. We have to get ready for two tough games."

Morehead State is 5-14 overall and 3-8 in OVC play, good for ninth place in the 10-team league. Eastern Kentucky is 4-16 overall and a last-place 2-10 in the OVC.

Southeast fell to 10-13 overall and 7-5 in league play by dropping an 86-75 home-court decision to Murray State Thursday night. The Indians had a chance to move into a first-place tie in the OVC but instead fell to fifth in the scrambled conference standings.

"We missed out on an excellent opportunity," said Shumate, whose squad went 2-2 during a four-game homestand that concluded Thursday. "But we just have to put that behind us and move ahead."

Despite its unimpressive record and the recent announcement that Fick will not have his contract renewed after this season, Morehead State poses a challenge for the Indians.

The Eagles have lost four straight OVC games, but those defeats all came on the road. Overall, Morehead State is 3-2 in league home games and the Eagles have a three-game home winning streak in conference play.

"They are very capable," said Shumate. "They beat Murray State, so it shows you they have the potential to play well. We can't take them lightly, even though we beat them at our place."

Southeast hammered the Eagles 94-75 on Jan. 13 at the Show Me Center.

Morehead State features a three-guard lineup and has four players scoring in double figures on the season, led by guard Doug Wyciskalla at 15.5 points per game.

Also averaging more than 10 points per contest are guard Hezzie Boone (11.5), forward Chris Stone (10.3) and center Luke Lloyd (10.0). Stone grabs a team-leading 9.1 rebounds per game.

"They can be very explosive offensively, especially if they get their 3-point shooting going," Shumate said. "They're a dangerous team. We were able to jump on them pretty good at our place. We really controlled the boards, which was a key. But they can be tough to beat."

With six games left in the conference season, this road trip -- like all the remaining games -- will go a long way toward determining just where the Indians wind up in the extremely tight OVC standings.

Murray State leads the league at 9-3, but then five teams are all within one game of each other. Eastern Illinois is 7-4, Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee State are both 8-5, Southeast is 7-5 and Tennessee Tech is 7-6.

"The conference is still up for grabs," said Shumate. "Every game is extremely important."

SEMO vs. Morehead State

6:45 p.m., Morehead, Ky.

Probable Starters

SEMO (10-13, 7-5 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Calvert White F Jr. 6-4 13.7

Devron Kirksey F Jr. 6-7 5.7

Bud Eley C Jr. 6-10 17.4

Reggie Crisp G Sr. 6-5 3.6

Allen Hatchett G So. 5-10 9.5

MSU (5-14, 3-8 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Doug Wyciskalla F Sr. 6-2 15.5

Chris Stone F Jr. 6-7 10.3

Luke Lloyd C So. 6-9 10.0

Hezzie Boone G So. 6-0 11.5

Ted Docks G So. 5-8 4.4

Series: 6-5 MSU

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