INDIANS' STUNNING WIN KEEPS THEM IN TITLE CHASE

Saturday night's unbelievable 84-75 overtime victory over Tennessee-Martin did more than keep Southeast Missouri State University's basketball team right in the thick of the Ohio Valley Conference title race.

The win also helped put even more distance between the Indians and the teams chasing them in the OVC standings.

Southeast, 11-6 overall, is now 8-1 in league play -- a full three games ahead of third-place Eastern Illinois, which is 5-4. Tennessee State, Morehead State and Austin Peay are all another half-game back at 4-4.

Murray State, which used a last-second shot to beat Southeast 71-70 Thursday night, is 8-0 in the OVC. The Racers lead the Indians by one-half game.

"This keeps us right there with Murray State and it puts some more distance between us and the rest of the league," said Southeast coach Gary Garner following Saturday's win. "It would be nice if it just stayed a two-team race. But there are still so many games left to play."

Saturday's contest marked the halfway point of the OVC season for the Indians, who have nine games left before the league's postseason tournament begins Feb. 23.

The Indians' next two games -- both on the road -- will be against two of teams directly behind Southeast in the OVC standings. Southeast plays Eastern Illinois Saturday and Morehead State the following Saturday.

After playing three games in five days last week, the Indians will now have just one game in each of the next two weeks.

"I really don't like only playing once a week now for a couple of weeks because it's hard to really stay sharp that way," Garner said.

Southeast has senior point guard Kahn Cotton to thank for Saturday's win in front of 5,330 fans at the Show Me Center.

The Indians muddled through much of the game, but Cotton's 3-point shot from 28 feet as the buzzer to end regulation sounded sent the contest into overtime at 68-68. Southeast then took charge in the five-minute extra session, outscoring the Skyhawks 84-75.

Cotton scored 20 points while Roderick Johnson had a huge game with 23 points and nine rebounds.