Women's Basketball Cuts Down Lady Oak 80-66 :: Sophomore Tisa Thomas scores a career high 20 points on 7-7 shooting from the field and 6-6 from the line.

Sophomore Tisa Thomas scores a career high 20 points on 7-7 shooting from the field and 6-6 from the line.

Nov. 20, 2001

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri women's basketball squad opened up a 20-point lead in the first half and then cruised to a 80-66 victory behind a "perfect" night from sophomore center Tisa Thomas.

Thomas scored a career-high 20 points on 7-7 shooting from the field and 6-6 from the line. She also grabbed six rebounds for the Otahkians.

The Otahkians (2-1) got off to a slow start missing their first four field goal attempts and first two free-throw attempts. Junior guard LaShelle Porter finally got Southeast on the board with a steal and layup at the 15:58 mark of the game. That basket sparked a 15-2 run that put Southeast up 15-4 with 12:00 minutes remaining.

The lead reached its zenith at 20 when freshman Andrea Koeper scored her first collegiate bucket at the 4:10 mark of the first half.

The half ended with Southeast up 41-22 over the Lady Oak (1-1). Southeast held a 26-6 advantage in points in the paint in the first frame and limited Oakland City to 30.4% from the field and 0-4 from three-point range.

The Otahkian lead would grow to as many as 23 four times, the last with 9:06 remaining over a Christine Rathke hoop.

Oakland City would then run out to a 17-6 run that cut the Southeast lead to 12 and forced an Ed Arnzen timeout for Southeast. Out of the timeout, Southeast managed a 8-0 run that put the game of of reach for Oakland City.

Two other Otahkians reached double figures besides Thomas. Rathke went for 14 on 5-9 shooting and 2-4 from three-point range. Rathke also added a game-high six assists. Junior Lori Chase added 12 points and 7 boards.

Oakland City was paced by 18 from Erin Evans, 15 from Shannon Bree and 13 from Katie Miller. Lori McCracken added 10 and a team-high six rebounds for the Lady Oak.

Southeast outshot Oakland City 48.3% to 42% and forced 21 turnovers. Junior LaShelle Porter tied her career-high with 5 assists, the same total she had the last time out against Texas-Pan Am.

Coach Ed Arznen improved to 15-4 in home openers in his career at Southeast.

Southeast will battle rival Southern Illinois at the Show Me Center on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. It will be the first meeting of the two schools in 20 years, since 1981.