Southeast women look to get back on winning track

All the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team has to do is remember last season to know its current four-game losing streak isn't the end of the world.

A year ago, the Redhawks suffered five straight defeats immediately after they started the season with four consecutive wins.

The Redhawks recovered to go 23-9 and win their second Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title in as many years under coach John Ishee.

This year's edition of the Redhawks began with three straight wins before running into their current rough patch that includes an 0-2 OVC start.

"I think we're going to be fine," Ishee said. "We're in no way, shape or form done with what we want to accomplish. We haven't even played a fourth of the season yet.

"We lost five in a row last year and came out of it pretty well. The big thing is to keep working hard and keep improving."

Although the Redhawks (3-4) don't have another OVC game until Jan. 3, they'll try to get back in the win column today when NAIA Bethel (Tenn.) College visits the Show Me Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

Southeast has one other game this week, Saturday at Southern Mississippi.

"We just need to play better," Ishee said.

Although the Redhawks returned three starters and seven seniors from last year, Ishee knew losing all-OVC center Missy Whitney and sparkplug guard Ashley Lovelady would not be easy to overcome.

So far that has proven to be accurate, especially in the case of Whitney, one of the OVC's premier inside players.

"You don't lose players like Missy Whitney and Ashley Lovelady and just pick right up," Ishee said. "They were very important players for us."

The Redhawks have not received as much help across the board from their five newcomers as Ishee had hoped, but he believes they'll eventually be factors.

"We have a lot of talent. We just have to get it to mesh," senior forward Rachel Blunt said. "It's just going to take a little longer."

Southeast also was hurt in its two OVC games by the absence of senior wing Sonya Daugherty, the squad's No. 2 scorer with an average of 13.2 points per contest.

Daugherty, who has a knee injury, could miss a few more games, but Ishee expects her to be at full strength when OVC play resumes.

"You take a player like Sonya out of the lineup and it makes a big impact," Ishee said. "She was playing really well."

Ishee points out that other than a 62-31 loss at national power Florida State, the Redhawks have had a chance to win every game.

Southeast has a notable victory against Arkansas-Little Rock, which recently beat nationally ranked Oklahoma State. The Trojans, whose only loss is to Southeast, received two votes in this week's Associated Press poll

"Other than Florida State, it's not like we're getting blown out," Ishee said. "And we've had two really good wins, against Arkansas-Little Rock and Missouri State out of the Missouri Valley Conference.

"We've got plenty of talent and plenty of time to get better."

Bethel is 8-3 and ranked 23rd nationally in NAIA. The Wildcats will be considerably bigger than the Division I Redhawks.

"They've got a 6-5 post and a 6-2 post," Ishee said. "They're a pretty good team, and I know they'll be a good challenge.

"It would be nice to get back in the win column, but I think we'll have to play well to beat them."