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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tyler Stone scored a game-high 28 points and knocked down the game-winning free throws with 28 seconds left to help Southeast Missouri (8-6) escape with a 66-65 win over Kansas City (4-8) Saturday afternoon at the Swinney Rec Center.

Kirk Korver, the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver, made a three-pointer from the right corner to give UMKC a 65-64 edge with 42 seconds left to play.

Stone was later fouled by Thomas Staton on the Redhawks final possession. Stone calmly tossed in two free throws to regain the lead for Southeast.
 
The Redhawks needed a stop and received one in a big way when Nino Johnson blocked Estan Tyler's three-pointer from the top of the key with eight seconds on the clock. The ball landed in the hands of Staton, who threw up a desperation shot which fell short of the rim at the buzzer.

"What a win for us today," said Southeast head coach Dickey Nutt. "We got the stop we needed at the end and hit some huge free throws down the stretch. We were fortunate to win this game."

Stone, who shot just 62 percent from the free throw line a year ago, has improved immensely in that area this season. His career-best and perfect 8-of-8 showing against the Kangaroos boosted his free throw percentage to .867, as he has missed only six times through 14 games.

"Tyler had an outstanding game," added Nutt. "He's worked hard at becoming a better free throw shooter and it's showing as the season progresses."

Southeast led the entire game until Fred Chatmon's layup gave UMKC its first lead at 55-53 with 7:36 left to play.

Then, things suddenly got interesting.

Shortly after Lucas Nutt was fouled and completed a three-point play, Tyler buried a pair of free throws to regain a 57-56 advantage at the 4:37 mark.

Southeast answered by stringing together six unanswered points when Nutt made a jumper and Stone added two free throws and a layup to widen the Redhawks lead to 62-57 with 3:09 remaining.

A quick three-pointer by Nate Rogers cut the lead to two and UMKC tied the game at 62-62 on Nelson Kirksey's field goal with 1:38 on the clock.

Moments later, Corey Wilford banked in a running shot high off the backboard to grab Southeast a 64-62 lead, and Korver splashed in his three 24 seconds after that.

Wilford took another shot on the Redhawks next possession, but this time missed. Stone came away with the offensive rebound and was fouled before going to the line to sink the game-winning free throws.

Southeast held an opponent under 25 points in the first half for the fourth time this season. The Redhawks never trailed in the game's opening 20 minutes, as UMKC shot just 30 percent (9-of-30) from the field.

Stone scored 12 of his points, including eight over a span of 7:42 to help grab Southeast a 32-24 halftime lead.

The Redhawks closed out the first half with a 9-3 run in the last 2:34 to build their 10^th lead at the half this year.

Stone shot 10-of-17 from the field, finished with a team-high nine rebounds and had two blocks en route to his fourth 20-plus point effor this season. He scored double figures for the 13th-consecutive game and poured in 20 or more in two of his last three starts.

Wilford followed with 15 points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists. He also scored six-straight points to get Southeast a six-point lead with 9:14 left in the second half.

"Corey is able to score in bunches and he proved that today," commented Nutt.

Marland Smith and Nutt each hit milestones in assists against the Kangaroos. Smith went over 200 career assists (201), while Nutt surpassed 300 (304).

Southeast, which turned the ball over only seven times for the second-straight game, led by as many as 11 points before pulling out the win.

Rogers led all UMKC scorers with 14 points. Chatmon followed with a double-double 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Staton chipped in 13 points.

The Kangaroos outscored the Redhawks, 30-9, from three-point range. UMKC made 10-of-27 threes.

Southeast, which has won two in a row, secured its first non-conference winning record since 2003-04 (7-4).

The Redhawks tip-off their 16-game Ohio Valley Conference slate when they host UT Martin on Dec. 29. Game time is set for Noon, CT, at the Show Me Center. Southeast enters OVC play on a two-game winning streak for the first time with Nutt as its coach.