Southeast Advances To OVC Title Game With Win Over Samford :: Redhawks defeat Bulldogs, 57-51, in semifinal showdown behind 20 points from Daugherty

Redhawks defeat Bulldogs, 57-51, in semifinal showdown behind 20 points from Daugherty

March 2, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Sophomore guard Sonya Daugherty (St. Louis, Mo./Hancock) tallied a game-high 20 points to lead top-seeded Southeast Missouri State women's basketball past fourth-seeded Samford in the semifinals of the O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Tournament today at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The Redhawks improved to a school record 23-7 mark, while the Bulldogs finished the season with an 18-13 mark.

Southeast broke an early 7-7 tie by scoring eight of the next 10 points en route to a 15-9 advantage on a jumper from Daugherty at the 13:19 mark. The Bulldogs sliced their deficit to 19-18 thanks to a 9-4 scoring drive that ended with a three-pointer by freshman Monica Maxwell with 8:02 remaining. The Redhawks then scored seven straight points to bring their advantage back to 25-18 with 6:35 left in the game. Samford used a 6-2 run to close within 27-24 at the 1:22 mark before a pair of Daugherty free throws gave Southeast a 29-24 lead heading into intermission.

Senior Veronica Pike outscored the Redhawks with an 11-4 run in a five-minute stretch to give the Bulldogs a 35-34 lead with 15:24 mark. Down 42-41 at the 10:51 mark, Southeast went on a 10-3 scoring drive behind six points from Daugherty during a near six-minute stretch to regain the lead at 51-45 with 4:13 remaining. Both teams split the final 12 points down the stretch to provide the final margin in favor of the Redhawks.

Sophomore guard Tarina Nixon (Gilbert, Ariz./Highland) and junior forward Missy Whitney (Charleston, Mo./Three Rivers CC) each recorded 14 points, while senior center Lachelle Lyles (Chicago, Ill./Shelton State CC) added a game-high 21 rebounds to set a new OVC Tournament record.

Pike led Samford with 18 points and 7-of-11 shooting and 4-of-5 from the free throw line, while junior Alex Munday contributed 15 points.

Southeast advances to its third consecutive OVC championship game at the Gaylord Center where it will battle second-seeded Murray State on Saturday afternoon with a start time of 3 p.m.