MACOMB, Ill. - Southeast Missouri (2-1) overcame a 12-point deficit and had four players score double figures in a dramatic 74-71 win over Western Illinois (1-2) Wednesday night.

SEMO trailed, 53-41, with 12:51 remaining before outscoring WIU by 15 points (33-18) the rest of the way. The Redhawks beat the Leathernecks in Macomb for the first time since 1972.

"I was very proud of our guys. This was a huge step for us to pull out a win like this on the road after facing adversity," SEMO head coach Rick Ray said.

Freshman Denzel Mahoney knocked down two free throws to give the Redhawks a 64-63 edge with 3:31 left in the game, their first lead since around that same time (3:42) in the first half.

Shortly after Jabari Sandifer's 3-pointer put WIU ahead, 67-64, Milos Vranes answered with a three of his own to bring the game to its seventh tie.

Mahoney again gave SEMO the lead (69-67) with two more free throws at the 1:54 mark.

Antonius Cleveland then made it a two-possession game when he added a pair of free throws.

Things would get interesting in the final minute as Dalan Ancrum narrowed the gap to 73-71 with 38 seconds on the clock.

WIU later rebounded the ball off a missed jumper by Jamaal Calvin with six seconds.

Following three-straight timeouts, Ancrum's fall away 16-footer was no good and Mahoney grabbed the rebound with 1.4 seconds remaining.

Mahoney split a pair of free throws to extend SEMO's lead to 74-71 before stealing the inbounds pass at halfcourt as time expired.

SEMO had a tough first half shooting the basketball, but offset its struggles with good defense. The Redhawks missed 12 of their first 14 field goals of the game, despite getting several good looks with many of their attempts inside the paint.
 
In an opening stanza that included four ties and six lead changes, neither team had much of a lead until WIU went on an 11-0 run in the final four minutes.
 
After Calvin's layup gave the Redhawks a 22-21 advantage with 3:42 left, the Leathernecks build a double-digit lead behind Sandifer (4) and Garret Covington (5) who accounted for nine of the points. James Claar's layup capped the surge, giving WIU a 32-22 advantage at the 1:26 mark.

Mahoney quickly answered the Leathernecks run with five points to cut the lead in half before WIU headed into the locker room ahead, 34-29.
 
SEMO shot 37.5 percent (12-of-32), its lowest field goal percentage in a first half this season.

Cleveland, who was clutch, particularly in the game's final 20 minutes, finished with a game-high 20 points. He dropped in 15 points in the second half alone and shot 8-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 at the free throw line. Cleveland also dished out two assists, gathered three blocks and had a steal in 33 minutes.

Vranes followed with 15 points, his third-straight double-digit performance off the bench. He was 6-of-9 from the field and knocked down three 3-pointers, while leading the Redhawks with seven rebounds.

Trey Kellum added 13 points and six boards, and Mahoney chipped in 10 points with five coming at the free throw line.

In addition, Calvin went without a turnover in 27 minutes.

SEMO outrebounded WIU, 37-30, and made 20-of-27 free throws. Seventeen of those makes were in the second half.

Covington and Sandifer topped the Leathernecks with 19 points apiece.

SEMO will look to keep its winning streak alive when it heads to Missouri Valley Conference member Bradley Friday.

Postgame Notes: Dondre Duffus made his first career start at guard...Duffus finished with six points, four rebounds and three steals in 21 minutes...Forward William Tchiengang played in his first career game as a Redhawk...Tchiengang was cleared by the NCAA Elgibility Center right before SEMO loaded the bus for its trip to Macomb.