SOUTHEAST ANNOUNCES OTAHK HOOP SCHEDULE

Two tough early-season tournaments and 13 regular-season home games highlight the 1999-2000 Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball schedule that was recently announced.

Last year, the Otahkians posted their best record since moving to the NCAA Division I level and set a school record for wins in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Nine players return off the squad that went 19-9 overall and a fourth-place 13-5 in the OVC -- and Otahkian coach Ed Arnzen said his team will need all that firepower because this season's schedule could be one of his toughest ever.

"I believe this is one of our most difficult schedules because of the tournaments early in the season," Arnzen said.

The Otahkians compete in the Arkansas State Tournament Nov. 19-20, along with the host squad, Butler and Mississippi Valley State; and in the Nevada-Las Vegas Tournament Nov. 26-27, along with the host team, Weber State and national power Louisiana Tech, which competed in last year's Final Four.

"All of the teams in the Arkansas State Tournament are very solid and the UNLV Tournament features one of the top teams in the nation in Louisiana Tech," Arnzen said.

Southeast will play two home exhibition games in addition to the 13 regular-season contests at the Show Me Center. Exhibition foes are St. Louis Gold Star on Oct. 31 and a foreign team to be named later on Nov. 15.

The regular season begins with the Arkansas State Tournament on Nov. 19-20. The first regular-season home game will be against non-conference foe Missouri-Kansas City on Nov. 23.

Southeast will have three other non-conference home games, facing Oakland City on Dec. 7, Indiana State on Dec. 10 and Belmont on Feb. 16.

The entire 1999-2000 Otahkian schedule appears in `Scoreboard' on Page 2B.

SEMO Women's Basketball

1999-2000 Schedule

(Home games in capital letters)

Oct. 31 -- ST. LOUIS GOLD STAR (exhibition), 2 p.m.

Nov. 15 -- FOREIGN TEAM (exhibition), 7 p.m.

Nov. 19 -- at Arkansas State Tournament

Nov. 20 -- at Arkansas State Tournament

Nov. 23 -- MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY, 7 p.m.

Nov. 26 -- at Nevada-Las Vegas Tournament

Nov. 27 -- at Nevada-Las Vegas Tournament

Dec. 2 -- at Tennessee Tech, 5:45 p.m.

Dec. 4 -- at Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.

Dec. 7 -- OAKLAND CITY, 7 p.m.

Dec. 10 -- INDIANA STATE, 7 p.m.

Jan. 2 -- at Arkansas-Little Rock, 7:05 p.m.

Jan. 6 -- TENNESSEE STATE, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 8 -- AUSTIN PEAY, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 13 -- at Tennessee-Martin, 5:45 p.m.

Jan. 15 -- at Murray State, 5 p.m.

Jan. 18 -- TENNESSEE TECH, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 22 -- EASTERN ILLINOIS, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 27 -- MOREHEAD STATE, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 29 -- EASTERN KENTUCKY, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 3 -- at Tennessee State, 5:45 p.m.

Feb. 5 -- at Austin Peay, 5:45 p.m.

Feb. 8 -- MIDDLE TENNESSEE, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 10 -- TENNESSEE-MARTIN, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 12 -- MURRAY STATE, 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 16 -- BELMONT, 7 p.m.

Feb. 19 -- at Eastern Illinois, 4:45 p.m.

Feb. 24 -- at Morehead State, 4:45 p.m.

Feb. 26 -- at Eastern Kentucky, 1 p.m.

Feb. 29 -- OVC Tournament (first round)

March 4 -- OVC Tournament (semifinals)

March 5 -- OVC Tournament (championship)