March 15, 2008

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Less than two days away from knowing its potential postseason destination, Southeast Missouri State women's basketball returned to practice last week on the courts of the Show Me Center in preparation for its next game. The Redhawks have been idle since dropping a 14-point decision to Eastern Illinois at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament last week in Nashville.

Second-year head coach John Ishee is excited to begin play as Southeast has claimed the automatic berth to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) based on winning its third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship. It will be the Redhawks' first appearance in the tournament and third straight national postseason appearance.

"We're very proud to be an automatic qualifier for postseason play and hopefully we'll get a home game in the WNIT. There are only about one-third of the 337 teams in America still playing basketball this time of year," Ishee stated. "We've had some spirited practices this week with a good frame of mind and we're anxious to find out who we play on Monday."

The Redhawks also have a chance of earning an at-large berth to the 2008 NCAA Tournament based on its 23-8 season record that included a school-record 17-3 mark in OVC play. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will announce the pairings on ESPN Monday night at 6 p.m. The pairings for the WNIT will be released on its official website - www.womensnit.com - at 11 p.m.

Southeast has submitted a bid to host the first round of the WNIT and tickets will go on sale on Tuesday (March 18) if it is picked to play at the Show Me Center. Ticket prices are $6 for adults and $4 for youth/college students with ID. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Southeast Ticket Office at 1-866-SEMO-TIK.