OTAHKS LOOK FOR FIRST WIN EVER AT EKU

RICHMOND, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team will attempt to break a long-standing jinx today.

The Otahkians have never won at Eastern Kentucky, but that will be their mission as they conclude the regular season with a 1 p.m. tipoff at McBrayer Arena.

"It would be a big deal for the team, and it would be really good for us to finish up strong," said Southeast coach Ed Arnzen.

Southeast has won three straight games after having lost its previous five. The Otahkians are 11-15 overall and a seventh-place 7-10 in the 10-team Ohio Valley Conference.

EKU is 12-14 overall and 9-8 in OVC play, good for fifth place.

The Otahkians and Lady Colonels have both secured berths in the OVC postseason tournament, but both would love to finish the regular season strong and take some momentum into the league tournament.

"We've had a lot of adversity this season, but we're playing with quite a bit of confidence right now," said Arnzen. "We would really like to finish strong with a win and then take a lot of momentum into the (OVC) tournament."

Southeast rolled past EKU 87-66 on Jan. 29 in Cape Girardeau, but Arnzen knows things won't be nearly so easy today.

"They'll play a lot better at home than they did at our place," he said. "They've got a solid team."

The Lady Colonels boast one of the league's premier players in senior guard Marla Gearhart, who averages 20 points per game.

"She's an excellent player and we've got to do a good job against her," Arnzen said.

Southeast is coming off Thursday's 82-76 win at Morehead State in which the Otahkians trailed by 12 points in the first half. That was the second straight comeback victory for the Otahkians in an OVC road game.

"We had really been struggling on the road, but now we seem to have turned that around," said Arnzen. "Hopefully that will continue (today)."

Following today's game, Southeast will get ready for Tuesday night's opening round of the OVC Tournament. The Otahkians will definitely play on the road Tuesday, although their opponent has not yet been determined.