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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Nick Niemczyk scored a career-high 22 points off the bench to lead four players in double figures, as Southeast Missouri (2-3) rallied to defeat Hannibal-LaGrange (2-5), 82-72, Wednesday night at the Show Me Center.
 
Southeast had its hands full with a Hannibal-LaGrange team which shot 55.1 percent from the field and a scorching 62.5 percent from three-point range.
 
Hannibal-LaGrange led by as many as eight points with 9:13 remaining in the first half and held a 36-35 edge at the intermission.

The Trojans drained six of its 10 three-pointers, including four by Arii Meuel, in the game's opening 20 minutes.

Lucas Nutt's three-pointer gave Southeast a 38-37 lead early in the second half, and after that, the Redhawks would not trail again.

Ahead 53-44 at the 11:53 mark, Southeast then used an 11-2 run to pull away for good.

Leon Powell stole the ball and threw down a one-handed slam to ignite a surge of seven points in 33 seconds to help the Redhawks build an 18-point lead.

Shortly after Powell's dunk, Niemczyk buried a three-pointer and Nutt made a layup off two more Trojan turnovers. Nutt's bucket gave Southeast a 64-46 advantage at the 9:37 mark.

"I credit Hannibal-LaGrange for a job well done," said Southeast head coach Dickey Nutt. "I thought the key to the game was when we made some defensive adjustments midway through the second half. Our fullcourt pressure bothered them and we were able to get some momentum."

Chris Smith converted a three-point play to narrow Southeast's lead to nine (76-67) with 1:07 left to play, but that was as close as Hannibal-LaGrange would get down the stretch.

Niemczyk shot 8-of-14 from the field, knocked down two three-pointers, posted a game-high four steals and hit a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line in 27 minutes. It marked the first time he scored double figures since finishing with 12 against Arkansas State on Nov. 27, 2010.

"It felt good to finally hit some shots and it helped to get more minutes," said Niemczyk.

Nutt followed with 15 points, while Powell added 13 and Telvin Wilkerson chipped in 10. Powell, who also had a game-high eight rebounds, went over 500 career points with his third double-digit effort this season.

Southeast shot 53.7 percent (29-of-54) from the field en route to ending its two-game losing streak.

Meuel led the Trojans with 29 points. He made 10-of-12 field goals and never missed from three-point range, nailing 7-of-7 shots.

Hannibal-LaGrange turned the ball over 22 times, including 14 in the second half, as well.

Southeast will break for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action to host Mid-American Conference member Miami (Ohio) Saturday. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m., CT, at the Show Me Center.