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Nino Johnson
AP Photo/L.G. Patterson

Men's Basketball By Jeff Honza, Southeast Missouri Sports Information

Strong First Half Not Enough in 81-65 Loss to Missouri

Redhawks let double-digit halftime lead slip away

Southeast Missouri put together a big first half, but struggled in the game's final 20 minutes against No. 11 Missouri
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (6-5) led by as many as 11 points, but shot just 26.7 percent during the second half in a 81-65 loss to No. 11 Missouri (7-1) Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 7,905 at Mizzou Arena.

It was a tale of two halves for Southeast tonight.

The Redhawks started strong, hitting eight three-pointers to build a 45-35 halftime lead.

Corey Wilford drove the lane for a layup with 4:53 remaining and capped an 8-0 run to give Southeast a 38-27 lead, its largest of the game.

The Redhawks shot 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field and 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from three-point range in the first half. Southeast's hot shooting was contagious early on as six different players scored with Wilford and Tyler Stone paving the way with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

"I was proud of the way we came out in the first half," said Southeast head coach Dickey Nutt. "We were clicking on all cylinders and did a great job of sharing the basketball. We shot well and had the momentum."

The second half, however, was a different story.

Missouri, after trailing for 17 minutes, took a 57-56 lead on a turnaround jumper by Laurence Bowers with 10:56 remaining. The Tigers expanded their lead to 73-62 on an alleyoop dunk by Keion Bell at the 4:16 mark.

Bell's dunk was part of a 12-2 run where Southeast made only one field goal in a span of 6:20.

Southeast sputtered to 8-of-30 field goals and went 1-of-11 from downtown in the game's final 20 minutes. The Redhawks were also outscored, 46-20, in the second half.

"We just weren't as aggressive in the second half," said Nutt. "We missed some point blank layups and couldn't get a basket. I thought we were rattled a bit. Their defense is very good."

Bowers scored a career-high 26 points, as Missouri posted its 70th-consecutive non-conference home win. Phil Pressey followed with 17 points, while Tony Criswell and Bell added double figures off the bench.

Criswell finished with 13 points and Bell turned in a double-double 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Tigers, who shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27) in the second half, became the first opponent to shoot 40 percent from the field against Southeast this year. Missouri made 30-of-67 attempts (44.8 percent).

Four of Southeast's five starters scored double figures. Wilford scored all 14 of his points in the first half. Nino Johnson and Stone followed with 13 points and seven rebounds apiece. Marland Smith dropped in 10, as well.

"It's disappointing to lose this game," said Stone. "We knew they were going to make a run and weren't prepared for it. We simply couldn't get shots to fall in the second half."

The Redhawks dropped to 0-7 all-time against Missouri and 0-10 all-time against nationally-ranked Division I opponents.

Southeast played eight of its first 11 games on the road, but returns home for five of its next six.

The Redhawks resume action when they host Central Arkansas Saturday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m., CT, at the Show Me Center.


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