Southeast women refuse to share OVC crown

~ Southeast will host Jacksonville State in the OVC tournament.

It didn't take long for the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team to bounce back.

Two days after suffering a rare loss, the Redhawks ended their regular season in resounding fashion.

Southeast used an early 17-0 run as the springboard to its 85-42 destruction of visiting Jacksonville State on Saturday night, punctuating its third straight Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship.

The Redhawks had clinched at least a share of the title the previous week, but they failed to claim it outright when Samford routed them 73-50 on Thursday night.

Southeast left nothing to chance against JSU, which led 6-2 early, then saw the Redhawks score 17 straight points.

The Redhawks rolled from there in posting their most lopsided win of the season.

"Our intensity was a big key tonight. It was lacking the other night," senior guard Ashley Lovelady said. "I just think our energy was so good."

The Redhawks (22-7, 17-3) won for the 13th time in 14 games and for the 18th time in 20 contests.

Southeast ended up capturing the OVC title by two games, and afterward the Redhawks cut down the nets for the third year in a row.

"It seems just like yesterday when we did it last year," senior center Missy Whitney said. "It's so special. ... and then on senior night, too."

Whitney and Lovelady are Southeast's only two seniors.

"It's very special," said Lovelady of the latest OVC championship. "I'm very appreciative. A lot of teams don't get to do this."

Southeast will be the No. 1 seed as it chases its third straight OVC tournament title.

The eight-team tournament begins Tuesday night. Southeast will have a rematch with No. 8 seed JSU (11-18, 8-12) at the Show Me Center.

"We're really excited [to start the tournament]," Whitney said.

Whitney, Southeast's leading scorer and rebounder, had 21 points, eight rebounds and four steals.

Whitney had 13 points and six rebounds during a first half that saw Southeast build a 44-25 lead.

"It was very important to jump on them early," Whitney said. "We came out and executed pretty good the first four minutes of the game on defense and offense."

Junior forward Rachel Blunt missed just one shot and scored 13 points. She grabbed seven rebounds.

Junior point guard Tarina Nixon added 11 points, while junior forward Crysta Glenn pulled down 11 rebounds as Southeast dominated the boards 45-27.

"Not to take anything away from Samford, because they are a good team, but we didn't put our best foot forward," Southeast coach John Ishee said of Thursday's blowout defeat. "We put our best foot forward tonight.

"That's the way you want to play going into the conference tournament."

Southeast's stout defense got back on track after Samford lit up the Redhawks for 51.9-percent shooting.

JSU shot 31.4 percent (16-of-51).

"Our defensive intensity was there from the start," Lovelady said.

The Redhawks, not noted for their offense, had one of their best nights of the season in that area.

Southeast's only higher-scoring game was a 91-60 nonconference rout of Central Arkansas in November.

The Redhawks surpassed their previous high output in OVC play, which took place during an 83-71 win at JSU in December.

Southeast shot a season-high 50.8 percent (32-of-63). They entered the game hitting 37.5 percent.

The Redhawks also made a season-high 10 3-pointers, in 21 attempts for 47.6 percent. Their season average beyond the arc was 30.5 percent.

"Our defense got our offense going," Ishee said.