CHARLESTON, Ill. - Trae Anderson had a double-double 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead Ohio Valley Conference West Division leader Eastern Illinois (11-13, 7-4) to a 78-69 comeback win over Southeast Missouri (5-19, 2-9) Saturday morning at Lantz Arena.

Anderson made his first eight shots of the game and notched 18 in 12 minutes during the first half.

Southeast, after scoring 42 points and shooting 50 percent from the field in the opening stanza, struggled in the second half.

The Redhawks made only one 3-pointer (1-of-14) and scored just 27 points during the final 20 minutes.

Southeast led, 42-40, at halftime before EIU began the second half on a 12-2 run. Cornell Johnston and Anderson each buried a 3-pointer and Luke Piotrowski added four points to key the quick surge that ended on his own free throws. Just like that, EIU was up, 52-44, with 17:39 left to play.

Antonius Cleveland's layup pulled Southeast to within three (54-51) at the 14:24 mark, but after that, the Redhawks couldn't get EIU's lead below five.

Cleveland split a pair of free throws with 1:05 left to narrow the Panthers' margin to 74-69. Trey Kellum rebounded Cleveland's miss on the second attempt, but Jamaal Calvin turned the ball over. EIU scored its last four points at the free throw line to claim its fifth-straight win and seventh in eight contests.

Southeast led for over 12 minutes in a first half that featured seven ties and four lead changes.

Eric McGill was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and made two of his three free throw attempts to give the Redhawks an 11-10 cushion with 14:29 remaining in the first half.
 
Anderson regained a 12-11 lead for EIU before a dunk by Cleveland sparked a 7-2 jaunt for the Redhawks. McGill's 3-pointer capped the run, putting Southeast ahead, 18-13, at the 12:43 mark.
 
With just under eight minutes left and up by two, the Redhawks put together another 7-2 run to take their biggest lead. Calvin drained a 3-pointer and Kellum scored two baskets to extend Southeast's lead to 38-31 with 3:35 to go.
 
EIU later battled back to tie the game again before Isiah Jones' two free throws and a steal by Calvin on the Panthers' last possession allowed Southeast to get a 42-40 halftime lead. It was the fifth time the Redhawks led at the half this year.
 
Anderson made 12-of-17 field goals, a 3-pointer and two free throws in 26 minutes to lead EIU.

Demetrius McReynolds followed with a double-double 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Johnston added 11 points and a game-high seven assists. EIU scored 32 points in the paint.

Cleveland led all Southeast scorers with 15 points and 10 rebounds, his team-high fifth double-double of the season. He also had two steals and went over 100 in his career.

Isiah Jones finished with 10 points and Kellum contributed nine points and six rebounds.

Southeast shot 39.3 percent (24-of-61) from the field and 20 percent (5-of-25) beyond the arc.

"We didn't compete on the defensive end and we are not a team that can have 25 three-point attempts," said Southeast head coach Rick Ray. "We knew Trae Anderson was an inside scorer and we couldn't stop him."

The Redhawks lost their third-straight game and allowed 81 points over that span.

Saturday's game between the Redhawks and Panthers was nationally televised on the American Sports Network. It was the fifth time Southeast played on national television this year.

Southeast continues its three-game road trip when it heads to UT Martin on Feb. 11.