Southeast women host three-team Thanksgiving Classic

The second annual HealthPoint Plaza Thanksgiving Classic is short one team this year, but Southeast Missouri State fans should still be in for some exciting basketball.

That's the opinion of coach B.J. Smith, whose Redhawks hosts the two-game event that takes place tonight and Saturday at the Show Me Center.

Southeast (1-1) plays Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1-2) at 7 p.m. tonight and Henderson State (3-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday. Four squads participated last year.

"We had Murray State coming in as the fourth team, but they decided to drop out late, and it was hard to get another team in on such short notice," Smith said. "But the other two teams are very good. There should be some great basketball, like there was last year."

In last season's inaugural HealthPoint Plaza Thanksgiving Classic, Southeast beat Illinois-Chicago 85-82 in overtime on the final night. No official title was awarded, but the Redhawks were unofficial champions as the only team to win both its games.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee is coming off a 14-14 season that featured an 11-5, second-place finish in the Horizon League.

The Panthers, picked third in the Horizon preseason poll, were deemed strong enough entering the year to participate in the preseason women's NIT, and they lost 89-57 at nationally ranked Oklahoma.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee returns two all-conference players in 5-foot-10 senior forward Nichole Drummond (first team) and 5-11 senior guard/forward Molly O'Brien (second team).

Drummond was the Panthers' top scorer last year at 13.7 points per game, while O'Brien averaged 9.4 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per contest.

"They'll be a really solid team," said Smith, whose squad also plays at Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Dec. 2. "They'll be a very good test for us."

Henderson State, located in Arkadelphia, Ark., is a Division II program that went 25-10 last season and was ranked fifth in this year's preseason national poll. The Reddies have blown out their first three opponents.

"I didn't realize how good they were," Smith said, laughing. "Hopefully we didn't bite off more than we can chew."

Southeast will be looking to get a streak going after notching its first win of the year, Tuesday's 83-48 rout of Division II Arkansas-Monticello. The Redhawks opened the season Friday with an 85-56 loss at 13th-ranked Texas Tech.

"Every game is important for us," Smith said. "We need to do well this weekend, but it sure won't be an easy two games."

Smith said he appreciates all that Southeast Missouri Hospital is doing to help put on the event, and next year he anticipates four teams to again participate.

"They do a lot for us, not only with this event, but throughout the season as our corporate sponsor," Smith said. "Next year we're going to move it up a week, and it should be easier to get teams in here. A lot of teams go to other tournaments around Thanksgiving."

Added Smith, "My first two years here, we had to go on the road around Thanksgiving time. Having games at home this time of the year is really good, and it's usually not that easy to get done. It's nice to not have to travel."