Jan. 31, 2002

Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- It took the Tennessee State Lady Tigers 50 minutes of game action but they finally held out to defeat Southeast Missouri State 88-79 in two overtimes on Thursday night and pick up only their third victory of the season.

Southeast (12-8, 4-5 OVC) jumped out to an early 6-2 lead and then could not buy a basket. The Otahkians would go without a hoop for the next 8:37 of the first half as Tennessee State (3-15, 2-7) went on a 22-0 run to open the game wide-open. The Lady Tigers were scoring easy baskets in the paint and limited Southeast to tough jumpers that were not falling.

LaShelle Porter finally hit a bucket to give the Otahks their seventh and eighth points of the night at the 9:15 mark of the first half. Southeast would play the rest of the half almost even with TSU, getting the lead to as few as 11 points on two occassions and trailed 39-24 at the break.

In that opening half, TSU shot 53.1% from the field while Southeast shot at 40.7% rate, but were 0-7 from long range. Junior forward Lori Chase spent all but eight minutes of the first half on the bench saddled with two fouls.

TSU opened the second half by extending its lead to 17 points three times, the last time at the 16:14 mark of the second frame. Southeast would use a 24-9 run to pull even with TSU at 62-62 on a steal and layup by Porter with only 54 seconds remaining in regulation. The game was tied at 64 when State's LaRissa Thomas had an opportunity to win the game but her jumper with 11 seconds remaining fell off. Southeast grabbed the rebound and Veronica Benson was fouled bringing the ball up court.

Benson, who entered the week as the league's fourth best free-throw shooter at 82.8% including a perfect 7-7 during the last two minutes of the game on the season, missed both free-throws and Pam Iversen missed a follow shot as the game went to overtime.

In the first overtime, neither team was able to gain more than a two-point advantage. TSU's Tristan Johnson made two free-throws with 1:20 left to put State up 73-71. Again Benson would answer, hitting a jumper in the lane with 12 seconds remaining to tie the game and send it into a second overtime.

Southeast looked like they had the game wrapped up in the second O.T. as they scored the first bucket of the period and led until the 1:47 mark of that period. Then Thomas made a layup off a TSU fastbreak to put the Lady Tigers up 80-79. Benson missed a three-pointer on the ensuing possession for Southeast and Zekeya Anderson made the Otahkians pay by hitting a killer three-pointer from the left corner to put the game away. Although down only four, Southeast turned the ball over on the next possession, and TSU hit their free-throws to close the game out 88-79.

Southeat had to play the entire overtime periods with its leading scorer, Chase, who fouled out with 41 seconds left in regulation.

"We absolutely weren't ready to play basketball tonight," Head Coach Ed Arnzen said after the game. "After the first two minutes of the game we allowed them to do whatever they wanted."

"Even if Veronica hits one we have a good chance to win," Arnzen said referring to Benson's two free-throws at the end of regulation. "But you can't fault her (Benson). I'd rather see her up there than anyone. She played her heart out tonight."

Benson led all scorers by scoring a career-high 31 points and she also grabbed nine boards in 47 total minutes of playing time. Iversen added 14 for the Otahkians and Porter scored 11. Chase was held to only five points, snapping a streak of nine straight double figures scoring games.

TSU was led by 26 points and 12 boards from Thomas. LaToya Clay added 15, Tristan Johnson scored 12 and Alexia Johnson had 10.

Southeast, who entered the game as the number twelve three-point shooting team in the country was 2-18 (11.1%) for the game.

The game marked only Southeast's second double-overtime game ever. The Otahkians defeated Eastern Kentucky 101-93 on January 2, 1999 in the other.

Game Notes: Senior center Pam Iversen recorded two blocks in the game to bring her career total to 101, becoming only the third Otahkian to swat 100 shots in a career ... Iversen has 32 blocks this season, the 7th best single season total in Southeast history ... Iversen is only one assist and one steal away from becoming only the second OVC player to ever record at least 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, 150 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocks in a career at the Division I level ... Southeast committed a season-high 29 turnovers ... the all-time series between TSU and SEMO is now tied at 11 games apiece.