RICHMOND, Ky. – Short-handed Southeast Missouri (2-14, 0-4) lost its fourth-straight game when it fell to Eastern Kentucky (11-7, 2-1), 88-69, Saturday afternoon at McBrayer Arena.
 
EKU made 77.4 percent (24-of-31) of its 2-point attempts against a Southeast team that had only seven players after guards Eric McGill and Robby Dosier, and forward Jaylin Stewart were out due to a violation of team rules.
 
The Colonels entered the day as the Ohio Valley Conference's leader in 3-point field goal percentage, but found other ways to beat the Redhawks. To go along with its decisive 2-point field goal percentage, EKU also outmuscled Southeast, 42-26, in the paint and held a 15-4 advantage in second chance points.
 
"Physicality and 2-point opportunities were the difference," said Southeast head coach Rick Ray. "They finished at the rim and we didn't. We also have to embrace physicality and didn't do that either."
 
Despite its shortened rotation, Southeast led EKU for the first 4:31 of the game.
 
Trey Kellum buried a jumper and Isiah Jones drained a 3-pointer to give the Redhawks a 5-0 cushion just 48 seconds in.
 
Isaac McGlone's 3-pointer later gave EKU its first lead at 11-10 (15:29) and sparked an 11-0 run over the next 2:41. Reischel scored seven of his 14 first-half points to key the surge that widened the Colonels lead to 22-10 at the 12:48 mark.
 
Reischel converted a 3-point play to give EKU a 34-18 advantage with 6:11 left to play, its largest lead of the opening stanza.
 
Joel Angus III's layup off a Kyle Gullett pass narrowed the Colonels lead to 40-33 with 1:11 remaining, but Javontae Hawkins scored the final three points and made a jumper at the buzzer to put EKU ahead, 43-33, at the half.
 
Southeast made it a two-possession game twice in the second half when it closed EKU's lead to six.
 
Jamaal Calvin knocked down a 3-pointer and followed that up with a layup to chop the Colonels lead to 49-43 with 16:07 left. Tony Anderson's two free throws then sliced EKU's lead to 55-49 at the 13:46 mark.
 
EKU countered with second-chance baskets immediately after each of those times when Reischel rebounded a missed 3-pointer and hammered down a dunk, and Javonte Hawkins scored on a tip-in following another missed three.
 
That was as close as Southeast would get and EKU led by as many as 20 with just under five minutes to play before picking up its league-best ninth home victory.
 
Reischel finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-14 field goals, 3-of-7 three-pointers and 2-of-3 free throws. He had six rebounds, two assists and two steals, as well.
 
Jaylen Babb-Harrison followed with 18 points, while Nick Mayo and Hawkins added 15 and 13, respectively.
 
The Colonels shot 50 percent (33-of-66) from the field on the afternoon.
 
Jones paved the way for Southeast with 19 points. He made three more 3-pointers and now needs just two more to get 100 in his career. Jones dished out three assists, going over 100 (102) as a Redhawk in that category.
 
Joel Angus III contributed 12 points, while Tony Anderson dropped in a season-high 11 off the bench.
 
Antonius Cleveland, who played his second game with a sore right wrist, saw a streak of seven-straight games scoring in double figures come to an end with four points.
 
"Antonius' wrist is bothering him and that really hindered the opportunity for him to finish at the rim the last two games," said Ray.
 
Southeast shot 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the field and matched a season-high 21 turnovers. Twelve of the Redhawks miscues came in the second half.
 
The Redhawks return to Cape Girardeau to host Jacksonville State on Jan. 13. Tip-off is set for 7:45 p.m., CT, at the Show Me Center.