Final Statistics

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. –  Jarekious Bradley and Isiah Jones each scored a game-high 21 points, but SIU Edwardsville (11-14, 7-7) squeaked past Southeast Missouri (12-15, 6-9), 75-72, Thursday night at the Vadalabene Center.
 
With the win, SIUE became the sixth team to clinch an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament berth, joining Murray State, Eastern Kentucky, Belmont, UT Martin and Eastern Illinois.
 
Southeast fell behind, 30-17, in the first half when Jones rattled off 13-straight points to tie the game.
 
Jones' burst started with two free throws. He followed that up with a three-pointer and a layup before adding back-to-back treys to bring the game to a 30-30 deadlock with 1:46 left to play. Jones scored all of his points in a quick 1:49, as the Redhawks used a 17-2 run in the final 3:35 to take their halftime lead.
 
Bradley scored the last four points of the half and made a nifty left-handed layup in transition to give Southeast its first lead (34-32) at the intermission.
 
Southeast, however, couldn't sustain its momentum in the second half.
 
SIUE heated up to shoot over 60 percent (.607) and was getting to the basket often in the game's final 20 minutes.
 
"We were up and down tonight and I didn't think we played for 40 minutes," said Southeast head coach Dickey Nutt. "We couldn't stop their penetration."
 
Marcus Wallace's layup gave the Redhawks their biggest lead  at 51-42 with 13:05 left to play before the Cougars mounted their comeback.
 
Layups by Keaton Jackson and Kris Davis gave SIUE a 59-55 cushion, but Bradley countered with a jumper and two free throws to tie the game with just under five minutes remaining.
 
Tied, 59-59, the Cougars went on an 11-2 run over the next 4:07 and withstood a late Southeast push down the stretch.
 
Donivine Stewart's layup capped the run, giving SIUE a 70-61 advantage with 51 seconds on the clock.
 
Jones sunk a three-pointer to narrow the gap to 72-67 twenty-nine seconds later.
 
Moments after Davis split a pair of free throws, Jones knocked down another three from the same spot, cutting SIUE's lead to 73-70 with 15 seconds.
 
Jackson then split two free throws and Nino Johnson broke free for a dunk to make it a two-point game (74-72).
 
Davis made the second attempt on his two-shot foul, giving Southeast one last chance with seven seconds. But, Bradley's desperation three bounced off the backboard and SIUE hung on.
 
Bradley, who was in a boot this week due to a sprained ankle, shot 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 at the free throw line in 32 minutes. He also had a game-high 12 rebounds en route to his second double-double this season.
 
Jones was 7-of-19 from the field with five three-pointers. His 21 points and five threes tied season-highs.
 
Johnson added 15 points and seven boards. He has now scored double figures in seven-straight starts.
 
Davis led all SIUE scorers with 15 points, as the Cougars ended up shooting 51.8 percent (29-of-56) on the night.
 
Southeast returns to action at Eastern Illinois Sunday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m., CT, at Lantz Arena. Sunday's game will be televised on the American Sports Network, locally at My 49 WDKA.