TENNESSEE STATE ROLLS BY OTAHKS

The road has not been kind to Tennessee State's women's basketball team this season, but the Lady Tigers got well in Cape Girardeau Saturday night.

TSU, which had been 0-7 in previous road games, knocked off Southeast Missouri State University's Otahkians 84-70 at the Show Me Center.

Southeast fell to 4-14 overall and remained in last place in the 10-team Ohio Valley Conference with a 2-8 record.

TSU improved to 8-10 overall and 4-6 in OVC play.

Tequila Holloway, averaging 11 points per game, exploded for 22 points to pace the Lady Tigers. She hit four of five 3-point shots.

Connie Swift scored 18 points and pulled down 17 rebounds while Cari Hassell added 15 points.

Kim Palmer paced Southeast with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Jamie Koester was also in double figures with 13 points.

"It's disappointing that we can't win in our own building," said Southeast coach Ed Arnzen, whose squad fell to 3-8 at the Show Me Center.

Arnzen pointed to the final rebounding statistics as perhaps the primary key to the game. TSU grabbed 53 rebounds while Southeast had only 34. The Lady Tigers also had 21 offensive rebounds.

"We talked before the game about some of the keys and rebounding was one," said Arnzen. "They really hurt us with offensive rebounds."

One of the other keys Arnzen pointed to prior to the contest -- turnovers -- actually worked in Southeast's favor. Plagued all season by excessive turnovers, the Otahkians had only 10 Saturday.

"That's probably the best we've done with turnovers all year," Arnzen said.

But some other areas hurt the Otahkians, including free throws. TSU was 24 of 33 from the line while Southeast was just 15 of 26.

"They hit theirs and we didn't hit ours," said Arnzen.

Still, the Otahkians stayed in the game almost the whole way. They trailed 38-35 at halftime and kept things close for most of the second half.

TSU led just 62-58, but the Lady Tigers scored seven straight points to effectively douse Southeast's comeback hopes.

"We had numerous opportunities to tie or go ahead," said Arnzen. "Good teams find a way to win. When you struggle, you have a tendency to shoot yourselves in the foot. That's what's happening to us."

Things certainly won't get any easier for the Otahkians Monday when they face Austin Peay in a 5:30 p.m. contest at the Show Me Center.

Austin Peay is tied for second place in the OVC at 8-3.

"They're a very good team," Arnzen said.