Southeast women face OVC leader

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team will try to knock off the Ohio Valley Conference's hottest squad.

In order for that to happen, the Redhawks need to reverse a 28-point thumping they received Jan. 9 in Charleston, Ill.

First-place Eastern Illinois will carry a school-record 10-game winning streak into Saturday's 5:30 p.m. tipoff at the Show Me Center.

Included in that streak was a 67-39 rout of the Redhawks early last month. That started a Southeast slide that has seen the Redhawks lose six of their last eight games.

"They're really good and they beat us pretty good over there," Southeast coach John Ishee said.

While EIU (15-8, 10-1) leads the OVC, Southeast (7-14, 4-7) entered Thursday's slate of conference action tied for seventh. The top eight finishers in the 10-team league qualify for the OVC tournament.

Although the Redhawks are currently toward the bottom of the standings, they also entered Thursday just one game removed from fourth place. The top four finishers earn first-round home games for the league tournament.

Southeast has a favorable closing schedule, with five of its final seven games -- all OVC contests -- at home.

The Redhawks will be facing some rugged competition during that time, but if they are successful, they should be in the mix for a home game in the first round of the OVC tournament.

"That's what we've been talking about," freshman forward Patricia Mack said. "Coach said if we win at least four [more] games, we'll have a good chance."

Said Ishee: "Everything is in front of us. There are six teams within one game of fourth place. We've got five or our last seven at home, albeit against good teams.

"If we win out, we'll be fourth. The chances of that are slim to none, but I think we have a realistic chance to win five of seven. If we do, then I think we'll have a good shot to get fourth."

Starting the closing stretch with a win against EIU will be difficult.

"They're the best team in our league," Ishee said. "They're very well coached and they've got a really good blend of veterans to go with new players. And their chemistry is really good."

While the Panthers have several solid returning players, their top performer has been freshman guard Ta'Kenya Nixon.

Nixon leads EIU and ranks among the OVC's top five in scoring (13 points per game), rebounding (6.5), assists (4.7) and steals (2.2).

"She'll probably be the [OVC] freshman of the year," Ishee said.

The freshmen-heavy Redhawks also have gotten contributions from various first-year players.

Lately that group has been led by Mack, who has four straight double-figure scoring performances after having just one previously.

"She keeps getting better and better," Ishee said. "She has a chance to be a really good player."

Among the Redhawks' problems over the past several weeks is that they have not been able to take advantage of all their key players.

Freshman guard Jasmine Davis and junior wing Lauren Sharpe -- Southeast's Nos. 1 and 3 scorers -- have missed the last eight games after suffering season-ending injuries. The Redhawks have lost six of the eight contests.

Freshman forward Bailie Roberts, the Redhawks' No. 2 scorer who has a foot problem, should return soon but Ishee said that likely won't be Saturday. Roberts has missed the past five games.

"It would help having those three, but there's nothing we can do about it," Ishee said. "We still have to play the games."