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PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – Southeast Missouri (6-2) caught fire to shoot 68 percent in the second half and all five starters scored double figures in a 82-74 victory over Texas State (2-6) Sunday in the championship game of the Cure UCD Classic.
Southeast went 3-0 to win the tournament which is in its second year.
Jarekious Bradley was named the tourney's Most Valuable Player, while
Tyler Stone and
Lucas Nutt also earned All-Tournament Team honors.
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"I am really pleased with how we played during these three games in three days," said Southeast head coach
Dickey Nutt. "Winning this tournament is big for our confidence and we are looking to build on this moving forward. Our shot selection and execution was very good and I am happy with the progress we are making. We are shooting the ball extremely well right now and continue to improve."
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Both Southeast and TSU locked up in a tight first half, but the game's final 20 minutes belonged to the Redhawks.
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"It felt like a blood bath in the first half," said Nutt. "After all that, we still came out and made adjustments that paid off."
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Southeast missed only seven field goals in its blazing second half which resulted in the Redhawks fourth-straight victory and sixth in seven games.
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The Redhawks held a slight 39-38 edge at halftime and never relinquished their lead in the second stanza.
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Ahead, 41-40, with 19:18 left to play, the Redhawks used a 13-4 run to expand their lead to double figures. Bradley scored seven points to key the surge which ended on his own three-pointer with 13:32 remaining.
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Darrian Gray made a layup to get Southeast its largest lead at 71-56 with 7:19 on the clock before the Bobcats responded with a 12-5 run to pull to within eight.
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After Corey Stern's dunk made it a seven-point game (79-72) with 16 seconds left, Southeast put the game away for good with three-straight free throws, including two by Nutt.
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Neither team led by more than four points in an up-tempo first half that included seven ties and 11 lead changes.
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Reid Koenen drained a three-pointer to give TSU a 12-8 lead with 17:07 remaining and Gray later knocked down a three to grab Southeast a 21-17 advantage with 13:05 on the clock.
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Bradley, who celebrated his 23
rd birthday today, led all scorers with a game-high 20 points. He shot7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. Bradley made all but one of his threes in the second half.
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Nutt followed with 18 points and a game-high seven assists, while Stone had 14,
Antonius Cleveland added 13 and
Nino Johnson chipped in 10. Johnson finished with a game-high eight rebounds, as well.
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Southeast, which had all five of its starters score double figures for the first time this season, shot 61.7 percent (29-of-47) for the game. The Redhawks made 15-of-22 shots in the second half. Additionally, Southeast shot over 60 percent from three-point range, making 8-of-13 attempts.
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The Redhawks outrebounded TSU, 33-27, and made 16-of-24 free throws, as well.
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Joel Wright led the Bobcats with 16 points.
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Southeast's 6-2 record is its best through the first eight games of a season since 1999-2000 (7-1).
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The Redhawks return stateside late Monday before returning to action at Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 7.