TECH KO's OTAHK UPSET IN OT

Ed Arnzen was coaching in his 500th game at the helm of Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team Tuesday night and he's surely experienced some bitter defeats during that time.

But, in the aftermath of a crushing 80-79 overtime loss to Ohio Valley Conference powerhouse Tennessee Tech, it was hard for Arnzen to remember a more difficult setback.

"It's one of the tougher ones, it really is," said Arnzen.

The Otahkians appeared on the verge of a major upset after Veronica Benson's two free throws with 3.5 seconds left in overtime had given Southeast a 79-78 lead and had the little more than 300 fans at the Show Me Center in a frenzy.

But in almost the blink of an eye, the Golden Eaglettes stunned the Otahkians as they went the length of the court to score on a Rachael Gobble layup just before the final buzzer.

Tech's last-ditch play after Benson's two free throws actually didn't look very promising at the outset. Misty Garrett, inbounding from underneath her own basket, had trouble finding somebody before she threw the ball over the head of teammate Janet Holt.

It initially appeared as if Garrett had led Holt a bit too far and it looked like several Otahkians stationed near mid-court might have a chance to either intercept or deflect the pass.

But Holt was able to track the basketball down first just before the mid-court stripe. The clock never started -- correctly -- until she touched the ball, saving the Eaglettes precious time.

Holt took a couple of dribbles to near the 3-point line and it appeared as if she was going to fire up a shot. But, at the last instant, she found Gobble all alone underneath the basket and Gobble deposited the layup with no Southeast player around her.

When a long pass by the Otahkians was deflected, the buzzer sounded and Tech had escaped with the victory.

"I thought Janet was going to shoot. I figured she better shoot because time was running out," said an excited Gobble. "Then all of a sudden she passed it to me. I was a little nervous because I have a phobia about layups."

Said Arnzen, "They made an errant pass and the ball was loose on the floor. They happened to get it and she (Holt) made a great pass. It's just a tough one to take."

But Arnzen had nothing but praise for his squad, which battled back from a 14-point first-half deficit to build a 13-point lead in the late going before Tech rallied furiously.

"I was proud of my team. They gave a great effort," said Arnzen. "It's hard to lose a game like this, but if we keep playing this way, we'll be all right."

Tech, the defending OVC champion and heavy favorite to repeat, took over sole possession of first place in the league at 3-0. The Eaglettes are 10-4 overall.

Southeast, 7-6 overall, fell to 2-1 in OVC play.

Holt, the reigning OVC Player of the Year, led all scorers with 30 points and she also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Allison Clark added 19 points for the Eaglettes.

Southeast was paced by Benson with 19 points while Tiffany Melis scored a career-high 15 points. Lori Chase had 14 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late in regulation. LaShelle Porter added 13 points and six assists while Pam Iversen had nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Otahkians, after leading briefly early in the game, fell behind 34-20 with just under eight minutes left in the first half.

But the Otahkians used a 20-2 run to take control, going ahead 38-36 on a Melis jumper with 2:17 left before halftime. Southeast carried a 42-38 lead into the break.

Southeast kept up the heat in the second half, never falling behind and ultimately building a 68-55 lead on a Benson baseline jumper with 4:32 remaining.

At that point, it appeared as if the Otahkians would cruise to victory. But a couple of key turnovers fueled a quick 10-0 Tech run that got the Eaglettes to within 68-65 with just under three minutes left. The battle was on.

Trailing 69-65, Tech got a Holt layup with 1:27 left after a Southeast turnover to pull within 69-67, then Clark's layup with 52 seconds after a Southeast miss knotted the contest. It was on to overtime at 69-69 after both teams missed late shots.

The lead changed hands seven times and there was one tie in the thrilling five-minute extra period.

Benson drove and was fouled with 3.5 seconds left, then calmly nailed the two free throws that were seemingly going to give Southeast the victory. But then Tech ruined those plans.

"It was an excellent ballgame. Both teams played well," Arnzen said. "With about four minutes left we were in control, but we let the press get to us and we had some turnovers, instead of taking care of the ball and making them foul us.

"Then we missed some big free throws down the stretch (Southeast was just 12 of 23 from the line compared to 18 of 19 for Tech). Then V (Benson) hit two big-time free throws)."

And then the Eaglettes came up with their late play that ruined the Otahkians' night.