Southeast women to play lone exhibition contest

~ the Redhawks basketball team will play Christian Brothers tonight, then open the regular season Friday

The young Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team plays its first game tonight.

While the result won't count on the Redhawks' record, coach John Ishee still is eager to see how his squad fares in its lone exhibition contest.

Southeast welcomes Division II Christian Brothers University from Memphis, Tenn., to the Show Me Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

"We're ready for a game. You need to play somebody else, other than yourself," said Ishee, whose team opens the season Friday at home against Division II University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The Redhawks already have faced outside competition, although not in an actual game.

NCAA Division I men's and women's teams are allowed either two exhibition games or one exhibition contest and one game-type scrimmage that is not open to the public.

Ishee, in his fourth season at Southeast, has preferred the second scenario since he took over the program, believing a scrimmage gives the Redhawks a better chance to work on specific situations.

Southeast squared off against Mineral Area College on Oct. 31.

"It served its purpose, but we need to get in front of a crowd, with the lights on," Ishee said.

The Redhawks graduated their top three scorers and returned four players from last year's squad that went 15-15 and failed to reach the Ohio Valley Conference tournament semifinals for the first time in seven years.

That came after Ishee led Southeast to OVC regular-season titles in his first two years, along with a conference tournament title and NCAA tournament berth.

Southeast's 13-player roster features nine freshmen. The Redhawks have just one senior, along with one junior and two sophomores.

Ishee said he has been satisfied with the way practice is progressing.

"Our work ethic has been real good," Ishee said. "We just need some seasoning."

The Redhawks have been battling injuries to several of their freshmen, most notably point guard Erika Lane, who hasn't practiced because of two stress fractures. Ishee said he hopes to have Lane back within two weeks.

Forwards Shanece Miller and Patricia Mack, along with wing Monica Miller, also have missed time due to injury.

"We're still a little banged up," Ishee said.

Ishee said starting tonight likely will be sophomore point guard Bianca Beck, freshman guard Jasmine Davis, senior center Lesley Adams, freshman forward Bailie Roberts and either junior Lauren Sharpe or freshman Katie Norman at the wing.

Sharpe is the Redhawks' top returning scorer at eight points a contest.

While Ishee wants to win the exhibition game, he also wants to get a look at all of his available players.

"We'll get everybody a taste, some experience," he said.

CBC went 11-16 last year, including 4-10 in the Gulf South Conference. The Bucs already have played two exhibitions, being routed by Arkansas State 95-49 and Mississippi 84-22.

The Bucs returned just one starter, senior guard Tameka Wooten. She is their top returning scorer with an 8.6 average.

CBC features a transfer from OVC-member Tennessee State, 6-0 junior Jasmine Ellis. She averaged 1.5 points in limited playing time for the Tigers last season.