Southeast women's basketball to visit MU

A home game with Missouri State, along with road contests at Missouri and Florida State, highlight Southeast Missouri State's 2008-09 nonconference women's basketball schedule.

The 29-game regular-season slate, which includes 18 Ohio Valley Conference contests, was released Friday.

Southeast opens the season Nov. 14 against Missouri State. That's the first of three straight home games to start the campaign for the Redhawks, who play seven of their first eight contests at the Show Me Center.

The Redhawks visit perennial NCAA participant Florida State on Nov. 25 and play at Missouri on Dec. 29.

Southeast and Florida State have met one other time, during the 2006-07 season when the Seminoles posted a 64-50 victory at the Show Me Center.

Southeast and Missouri have not squared off since the 2001-02 campaign, when the Tigers prevailed 80-62 at the Show Me Center. Missouri leads the all-time series 12-1.

The Redhawks also visit coach John Ishee's alma mater, Southern Mississippi, Dec. 13 for the first-ever meeting between the programs. Ishee was an assistant at Southern Mississippi from 1991 to 1994. The Eagles advanced to last season's WNIT quarterfinals.

"It's 28 miles from my mom and dad's house," said Ishee of the Southern Mississippi campus in Hattiesburg. "Counting college and coaching, I spent nine years there. I'm looking forward to that trip."

Another notable nonleague game is Nov. 21 at home against Arkansas-Little Rock, last year's Sun Belt Conference West Division champions.

The Redhawks also play Providence of the Big East Conference Dec. 20 during a tournament in New Orleans that also could feature a matchup with Tulane.

Other nonconference home games are against Central Arkansas Nov. 18, Indiana State Nov. 28, Bethel Dec. 10 and Harris-Stowe Feb. 4. Indiana State upset national power Vanderbilt last season.

Southeast, which has won the past three OVC regular-season titles, tips off its conference schedule Dec. 4 at home against Austin Peay.

"We don't play a top-10 ranked team in the country like Baylor like we did the last two years, but as for the overall quality, it's as tough a schedule as Southeast has ever played," Ishee said. "It's everything we want and more."

The Redhawks have their lone exhibition game Nov. 8 at home against Maryville University.