Jan. 1, 2007

Southeast-Eastern Kentucky Game Notes
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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -

TIP-OFF: Southeast Missouri State women's basketball opens the New Year with a return to Ohio Valley Conference competition as it faces Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday night at McBrayer Arena in Richmond. The game will be shown live on OVCSports.tv and broadcast live on KGIR/ESPN 1220 AM with Erik Sean (Play-By-Play) and Southeast women's basketball contact Corey Miggins (Color) calling the action.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: Southeast enters 2007 with a season ledger of 8-4, which includes a 3-1 mark against OVC teams. The Redhawks posted a 93-53 win over Martin Methodist in their final non-conference game of the year on Dec. 15 to extend their winning streak to five games. Junior forward/center Missy Whitney leads Southeast in scoring (13.8 ppg) and field goal percentage (.459), while ranking second in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and free throw percentage (.794). Senior center Lachelle Lyles currently leads the OVC and NCAA Division I in rebounding with an average of 16.3 boards per game. Junior guard Ashley Lovelady ranks second on the team at 12.4 points per game.

SCOUTING THE LADY COLONELS: Eastern Kentucky brings a 5-8 record into the finale of a two-game homestand and has a 2-2 record versus OVC competition. The Lady Colonels fell to East Tennessee State by an 83-73 decision last Saturday at McBrayer and have lost four of their last six games. Junior guard Crystal Jones averages 16.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals a game to lead EKU. Jones has captured OVC Newcomer of the Week honors on four occasions this season. Fellow classmate Ashley Cazee is second on the team in scoring at 11.9 ppg and is tied with Jones for the team lead in steals with a 2.5 per game average. Larry Joe Inman is currently in his 19th season as head coach of the Lady Colonels and has produced a 298-221 record.

SERIES HISTORY: Tuesday's game marks the 32nd lifetime meeting between Southeast and Eastern Kentucky with the Lady Colonels holding a 25-6 advantage in the all-time series. EKU was victorious in five of the last six meetings before the Redhawks swept the season series last year, including an 87-86 overtime win in Richmond last February.

DIEBOLD POSTS CAREER DAY AGAINST MARTIN METHODIST: Sophomore guard Heather Diebold took full advantage of her playing time last Thursday against Martin Methodist as she recorded her best performance in a Southeast uniform. The 5-7 native of Branson, Mo., tallied a career-best 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting and was 3-of-3 from the free throw line while adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Diebold has appeared in seven games since returning to the team in early December.

LOVELADY CONTINUES SCORING BARRAGE: Junior Ashley Lovelady has been on a roll in the scoring department for Southeast as she has posted double-digit scoring efforts in the last six games. She continued that trend by contributing 12 points in the Redhawks' home win over Martin Methodist on Dec. 22. Lovelady has averaged 13.2 points a game in Southeast's last five contests.

BALANCE AND OPTIONS... PART DEUX: The Redhawks received several double figure point efforts against Martin Methodist last Thursday, led by Missy Whitney's 16 points. Joiceline Thesing added 13 points for her second highest double-digit scoring total this season. Ashley Lovelady, Tarina Nixon and Heather Diebold each contributed 12 points, while Rachel Blunt closed the scoring with 10 points. It marked the first time that Southeast had four or more players to score in double digits since five players accomplished the feat against Lyon College on Nov. 23, 2004.

UP NEXT: The Redhawks return to the Show Me Center to host Eastern Illinois in an OVC match-up on Thursday, Jan. 4 with a start time of 5 p.m.