Southeast won its 11th straight 84-76

Sonya Daugherty played the role of unexpected star Thursday night as Southeast Missouri State set a school record for consecutive wins on the Division I level.

Daugherty, a little-used freshman guard, kick-started Southeast's stagnant offense with 13 first-half points as the Redhawks beat visiting Eastern Illinois 84-76.

"It felt good to contribute," Daugherty said.

The Redhawks (17-7, 14-3) remained in second place in the 11-team Ohio Valley Conference, one-half game behind Tennessee Tech, although the squads are tied in the victory column.

Southeast posted its 11th straight triumph, breaking the Division I record it had shared with last year's team. The Redhawks also avenged a 70-61 loss at EIU (10-15, 9-8) on Jan. 5, which stands as their most recent setback.

"It's nice to keep winning," senior center Tatiana Conceicao said.

As far as coach B.J. Smith was concerned, the Redhawks might have gone down had it not been for the play of Daugherty, who came to Southeast with impeccable credentials but has not been much of a factor on the college level so far.

Daugherty averaged 27.5 points per game during her career at Hancock High School, and she is the all-time leading scorer in St. Louis prep history. She ranks ninth on Missouri's all-time prep scoring list.

But Daugherty entered play Thursday having scored just 10 points all season, and only two points in OVC games. She had played just 52 minutes, and had hit 3 of 12 field-goal attempts.

"I usually come out real nervous," said Daugherty of her limited action so far. "But tonight I just came out ready to play.

"I figured if I worked hard enough, coach B.J. would have confidence in me. I've been working extra hard in practice."

It apparently paid off. Daugherty entered midway through the first half of what was a defensive struggle to that point.

Daugherty almost immediately scored from in close to put Southeast up 16-15 with 8:34 remaining in the period.

Although the Redhawks would fall behind three more times by one point over the next few minutes, Daugherty would make a major impact as Southeast steadily gained control.

Daugherty scored 13 of Southeast's final 23 second-half points. She had six points during a 14-2 run to end the period as the Redhawks carried a 37-25 advantage into the break. They were not seriously challenged in the second half.

Daugherty, playing seven first-half minutes, hit 6 of 7 shots, including her only 3-point attempt. Most of her baskets came on drives.

"That's more like it was in high school," said a smiling Daugherty, who played only one second-half minute and did not attempt another shot.

Said Smith, "She was unstoppable in high school. Lately we haven't been able to guard her in practice, and we've been trying to get her minutes."

Smith expressed so much disappointment in Southeast's overall play that he said, "I thought Sonya was the only bright spot of the whole night. We played awful. The playoffs [OVC tournament] start in two weeks and this is not acceptable."

Conceicao, despite playing just six first-half minutes due to foul trouble, led the Redhawks with 23 points. She also appreciated Daugherty's contributions.

"We were so excited about it," Conceicao said. "She came in and gave us some big baskets. She's been working real hard."

Senior forward Simone Jackson scored 18 points, while freshman guard Tarina Nixon added 14 points, four assists and three steals. Junior center Lachelle Lyles grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench, leading Southeast to a 43-29 edge on the boards.

After the Redhawks took control at halftime, they led by double figures for most of the second half, including by 19 points with under four minutes remaining.

The final score was misleading as EIU only pulled closer than 10 points after a 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining, but the Redhawks' inability to finish strong might have had something to do with Smith's ire.

Smith also probably didn't like the fact EIU scored 76 points and shot 44.9 percent. Senior guard Megan Sparks paced the Panthers with 25 points.

But the bottom line is that the Redhawks keep on winning -- and if they capture their final three games, they'll have at least a share of the program's first OVC championship.

"That's what we're shooting for," Conceicao said. "But we know we have to play a lot better."