Southeast women debut with rare win over Bears

The Missouri State women's basketball program isn't what it once was.

But that didn't make Southeast Missouri State any less pleased Friday night.

The Redhawks opened their season with a hard-fought 67-64 win over the visiting Bears.

"With their history and their program ... it's a great win," Southeast senior forward Rachel Blunt said.

MSU has made 13 NCAA tournament appearances and earned two Final Four berths, in 1991-92 and 2000-01.

CHUCK WU ~ cwu@semissourian.comSoutheast Missouri State's Bianca Beck drives past Missouri State's Tiffany Coppage during Friday night's game at the Show Me Center.

The Bears notched 17 straight winning seasons until compiling losing records the past two years, although they appear headed back up.

"It's a huge win for our program," said third-year Southeast coach John Ishee, whose first two squads claimed Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championships.

Southeast, winning its ninth straight home opener, had beaten the Bears just one other time, that coming during the 1981-82 season. MSU leads the series 9-2.

"It's a very good win," Southeast senior forward Crysta Glenn said.

And one that wasn't decided until MSU freshman Casey Garrison's 3-point attempt hit the back of the rim and bounced away at the final buzzer.

The back-and-forth game was tight throughout and featured no double-digit lead for either squad.

"We figured it would be a pretty tough game," Southeast senior wing Sonya Daugherty said.

MSU, which trailed 37-31 at halftime, threatened to take control with a 13-0 run that gave the Bears a 50-44 lead midway through the second half.

Southeast still trailed 60-57 with just over three minutes left, after which the lead changed hands three times.

Blunt's 16-foot jumper with 1:06 remaining put the Redhawks up for good at 65-64, although things were anything but comfortable.

"I missed so many [shots] early on, but I just kept shooting," said Blunt, who was 6 of 16 from the field but nailed three clutch jumpers in the final 3:10.

After MSU missed a shot against tough defense by the Redhawks, Daugherty made both free throws of a 1-and-1 with 18 seconds left to put Southeast up 67-64.

MSU missed a contested 3-pointer, and Daugherty was fouled with 5.3 seconds left. She had a chance to ice the victory, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

Garrison then went almost the length of the court before pulling up for a running 3-pointer at the top of the key. The shot was just a bit long.

"I was praying she didn't make that last shot," Daugherty said.

Southeast prevailed despite committing 21 turnovers, missing 10 of 29 free throws -- Daugherty was 7 of 14 -- and shooting just 41.8 percent from the field.

But the Redhawks held MSU to 37.5-percent shooting, outrebounded the Bears 43-33 and made plenty of crucial plays in the late going.

"Our seniors played like seniors in the last six minutes of the game," Ishee said. "We just made one more play than they did. We were fortunate."

Glenn, who was solid last year after transferring from junior college, had a double-double with a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Glenn did not miss a shot, making all five of her field goals -- including a 3-pointer -- and all eight of her free throws.

"She played outstanding," Ishee said.

Glenn, who scored 15 second-half points, also made all eight of her free throws in Southeast's lone exhibition game. Glenn said better foul shooting was a focus after she hit just 55.9 percent last year.

"Every day [over the summer] I shot hundreds of free throws," Glenn said. "It's paying off."

Daugherty scored 15 points and led Southeast with six assists, while Blunt added 12 points.

Sophomore wing Lauren Sharpe scored a career-high 12 points and recorded a career-high seven steals.

"She can disrupt so much with her length," Ishee said of the 6-foot Sharpe.

Freshman point guard Bianca Beck was solid as the starter in place of senior Tarina Nixon, who went 15 minutes off the bench but was limited by a finger injury.

Beck committed four early turnovers, then didn't have another. She had five points and two assists in 27 minutes.

"Tarina basically played left-handed, but just her presence helped," Ishee said. "Bianca's not a typical freshman. She's very mentally tough. I think she has a chance to be a special player."