Jan. 23, 2008

Southeast-Morehead State WBB Game Notes

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -

TIP-OFF:
Playing in only its fourth home game in Ohio Valley Conference play this season, Southeast Missouri State women's basketball returns to the Show Me Center where it faces Morehead State in an conference battle Thursday evening with the opening tip set for 5 p.m. The game will be shown live online on OVCSports.tv and broadcast on the radio at ESPN/KGIR 1220 AM.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS:
Southeast heads into Thursday's contest with a 12-6 season record and has posted a 7-2 ledger in conference play. The Redhawks have won four of their last five contests that include wins at Tennessee State (70-51) and Tennessee Tech (49-39) last week. Junior guard/forward Sonya Daugherty leads Southeast in scoring at 14.3 points per game and steals at 2.2 per contest. Senior forward/center Missy Whitney is averaging 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game to lead the Redhawks while scoring 13.9 points a game.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES:
Morehead State enters the week sporting a 7-11 overall record and a 5-5 mark versus OVC teams. The Eagles earned a split at home last week with a 61-49 loss to Samford and a 78-51 win over Jacksonville State. Senior guard Tarah Combs ranks first on the team in scoring at 11.9 points a game and has hit OVC-leading 59 three-pointers, while freshman guard Chynna Bozeman is second on the team at 11.8 points per contest with a team-best 1.8 steals a game. Sophomore center Brittany Pittman, the reigning OVC Newcomer of the Week, is averaging a team-leading 8.8 rebounds a game and ranks third in the NCAA Division I with 4.2 blocks a game. Mike Bradbury is in his first season as Morehead State's head coach after spending five seasons at Xavier.

SERIES HISTORY:
Southeast has produced a 23-7 lead in the all-time series with Morehead State and has won seven of the last eight games. Last season, the season series was split at 1-1 with each team winning a game on its home floor, including an 84-70 win by the Redhawks last February. Since entering the OVC in 1991-92, Southeast has produced a 14-1 record all-time against the Eagles at the Show Me Center.

OVC LEADERS:
Southeast ranks first in the OVC in a couple of categories entering this week's slew of games. The Redhawks are first in scoring defense by allowing an average of 58.6 points a game and turnover margin with a +5.44 rating while forcing opponents to average 19.9 turnovers per contest. Southeast has also allowed 57.6 points a game in OVC games, which is good for first in the conference.

TURNING TURNOVERS INTO POINTS:
Southeast utilized its defense during a three-game Tennessee road swing that would turn opponents turnovers into points on the offensive end. The Redhawks forced opposing teams to turn the ball over an average of 21.3 times which translated into 19.3 points per game. In last Saturday's win at Tennessee Tech, Southeast tallied 16 points off 26 Golden Eagle turnovers.

THE SHOW ME STICK UP KIDS:
Southeast tallied a season-best 18 steals in last Saturday's 10-point win at Tennessee Tech and it marked the third time this season that it had produced 13 or more steals in a game. Leading the theft brigade was senior Missy Whitney's career-high seven steals followed by junior Sonya Daugherty with four and junior Tarina Nixon with three.

UP NEXT:
Southeast ends the month of January with an OVC contest against conference rival Murray State this Saturday at the Regional Special Events Center in Murray, Ky., with a start time of 4:30 p.m.