Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team looks for first OVC win vs. Tech

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team is still on the hunt for its first Ohio Valley Conference win after Wednesday night's loss put them at 0-5, which is the program's worst start in the OVC since joining Division I and the conference in 1991.

The Redhawks will try to snap their winless stretch when they face Tennessee Tech at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Show Me Center.

"We're going to work on us because if we can't get some of the things straightened out on us, it doesn't really matter what Tennessee Tech does," Southeast coach Ty Margenthaler said following Wednesday's 70-34 loss.

Southeast's 34 points was a low for the season. The Redhawks are last in the OVC in offense, averaging just 48.2 ppg in conference games. TTU (5-13, 2-3 OVC) is averaging 67 points through its first five conference contests.

The Golden Eagles won two in a row -- a five-point win against Murray State and a four-point win against Austin Peay -- before losing 79-59 to UT Martin on Thursday.

Junior guard Samaria Howard averages 14 points and nearly five rebounds, while senior center Candace Parson averages 11 points points and five rebounds for TTU.

Sophomore guard Hannah Goolsby averages nine points and averages 35 percent from 3-point range.

Southeast's offense has been the biggest sore spot all season, and the Redhawks have especially struggled in the OVC, averaging 18.2 turnovers in five conference games. Starting senior guards Jasmine Robinson and Yelena Rosado have 18 and 20 turnovers, respectively, in those five losses.

"We're just turning the ball over too many times," Margenthaler said. "We can't turn the ball over 20 times. That's going to be an area we really focus on is taking care of the basketball, and not have empty possessions. That's going to be one big thing.

"Then the second thing is just being able to fight through adversity, being able to fight through if we get scored on twice, or if we have two empty possessions. How do we handle those situations? Right now we just don't handle those situations at all. We go in a little funk, and we hang our head, and that's an area that's a concern. They've got to look within themselves and get it done. Get it done. That's going to be on them, quite honestly."