Southeast women finally return home

~ The Redhawks have played four of their last five games on the road.

Tarina Nixon knows what the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team has to start doing as it chases a third straight Ohio Valley Conference title.

"We've been doing so well on the road," said Nixon, the Redhawks' junior point guard. "Now we have to start winning at home."

Southeast (12-6, 7-2) will play only its fourth OVC game at the Show Me Center this season when Morehead State (7-11, 5-5) visits for today's 5 p.m. tipoff.

The Redhawks are 1-2 in conference home games, but 6-0 on the road. They recently concluded a stretch that saw them play six of seven OVC contests away from home.

Sonya Daugherty leads Southeast in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game . (Kit Doyle)

"It's never easy to win on the road," senior center Missy Whitney said. "We've been doing real good."

The Redhawks are alone in second place in the 11-team OVC, and tied with leader Eastern Illinois on the loss side largely because of their road success.

Eastern Illinois, 9-2 in the league, has played two more games than Southeast. The Panthers are off today.

"We just finished up a brutal stretch of our schedule, and we came out of it in good shape," Southeast coach John Ishee. "The key for us is to get to February in good shape."

That's because the Redhawks play six of their final nine OVC contests at home, including five of their last six. Seven of Southeast's first 11 conference games are on the road.

"We've proven we can win on the road, now we have to hold serve at home," said Ishee, whose squad has won eight of its last nine games overall.

Ishee expects a tough test from Morehead State, which has won four of its past five.

"They're on a roll right now, and they're coming off a great game," Ishee said.

Ishee was referring to Saturday's 78-51 home victory over Jacksonville State, as senior guard Tarah Combs and sophomore center Brittany Pittman went wild. Combs scored a career-high 30 points, including a career-high eight 3-point baskets, as the Eagles set a school record by making 15 3-pointers (in 32 attempts).

Pittman, a 6-foot-3 transfer from Middle Tennessee State, grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds.

Combs is the Eagles' top scorer at 11.9 points per game. She leads the OVC in 3-pointers made with 59 and is seventh in 3-point percentage at 39.3, including 44.2 in league play.

Pittman is the OVC's No. 2 rebounder with a 9.5 average, and she leads the conference in blocked shots with 75, which is 42 more than anybody else in the league.

Pittman, who averages 8.8 points, ranks among the national leaders in blocks.

Morehead State has another transfer from a major program in 6-1 senior Afton Perry, who began her career at Kentucky.

Perry averages 10.1 points and 8.6 rebounds. She has blocked 33 shots and is shooting 51.8 percent.

Perry is second in the OVC in blocks, third in field-goal percentage and fifth in rebounding.

"They've got two really good inside players and Combs is a great 3-point shooter," Ishee said. "When they're making shots, they're really good. It will be a big challenge for us."