Belmont (8-5) vs. Southeast Missouri (6-7)

Date: Thursday, December 28, 2017
Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Arena: Show Me Center (7,000)
Series History: Belmont leads, 5-0
Last Meeting: BEL 87, SEMO 75 (Jan. 7, 2017 / Nashville, Tenn.)
Head Coaches: Rick Ray (63-109 overall; 26-49 at SEMO; 11-21 OVC). Rick Byrd (762-391 overall; 670-336 at BEL; 66-14 OVC).

Media Coverage
Radio: SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM, Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean, Jess Bolen)
Video: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com
Twitter: @SEMOMBB
Southeast Missouri Notes

Redhawks Wrap Up Non-Conference Play 
Southeast Missouri (6-7) opens Ohio Valley Conference play when it hosts defending regular-season champion Belmont (8-5) Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., CT, at the Show Me Center.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to Thursday's game on the radio at ESPN 92.9 FM and Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean and Jess Bolen will call the action. Video can be accessed live online at the OVC Digital Network. Live stats are available at GoSoutheast.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOMBB.

Fast Break Lounge
All fans will be able to enjoy courtside food and beverages in the Redhawks Fast Break Lounge on Dec. 28, Jan. 11 and Jan. 13. Adult beverages and food will be available for sale courtside on the west end of the Show Me Center.

Series History
Belmont is undefeated at 5-0 in its series against Southeast. The Bruins have beaten the Redhawks each of their first five years in the Ohio Valley Conference since they initially joined the league in 2012-13. Belmont is 2-0 at the Show Me Center and averaged 99.5 points per game in those contests.

Three-Game Skid
The Redhawks enter conference play on a season-long three-game losing streak. Southeast's last win was a 75-69 victory at regional-rival Southern Illinois on Dec. 9.

OVC Openers
The Redhawks are 10-16 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference openers. Southeast opened league play with a win in three of the last six seasons. The Redhawks are 13-12 in OVC home-openers, beating Eastern Kentucky, 81-48, the last time they began conference play at the Show Me Center on Dec. 31, 2016. 

Back-to-Back OVC Opening Wins
Southeast goes for a win in its Ohio Valley Conference opener for the second-straight season. The Redhawks last posted back-to-back OVC opening wins in 2011-12 (67-51, vs. Morehead State) and 2012-13 (65-60, vs. UT Martin). Both of those games were at the Show Me Center. 

Tall Order
The Redhawks open Ohio Valley Conference play against Belmont for the second-straight year and third time in four seasons. The Bruins have won four OVC regular-season titles and two OVC Tournament crowns since joining the league in 2012-13. Belmont is 66-14 all-time in conference play.

Redhawks End Non-Conference
Southeast wrapped up non-conference play with a 78-48 road loss at Saint Louis on Dec. 22. The Redhawks shot a season-low 32.1 percent from the field and finished with a season-low 48 points. It was Southeast's second-largest non-conference loss under head coach Rick Ray.

Holiday Break
The Redhawks return to action after a six-day layoff for the holidays. Southeast begins its 18-game Ohio Valley Conference slate with two games at home this week. After Thursday's matchup with Belmont, the Redhawks host Tennessee State in a 1 p.m., CT, matinee on New Year's Eve.

10 in a Row
Denzel Mahoney has scored double figures in 10-straight games. Mahoney recently dropped in 12 points to lead Southeast in its 78-48 loss at Saint Louis (Dec. 22). His longest double-digit scoring streak is 11 games from Jan. 21 Nov. 13, 2017. Mahoney led the Redhawks in scoring during nine of his 13 starts this year.

OVC Scoring Leader
Sophomore guard/forward Denzel Mahoney leads the Ohio Valley Conference with 18.6 points a game. Mahoney is also ninth in free throw percentage (.809), sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.444), and 18th in minutes played (29.7 mpg). He has scored double figures a total of 39 times in his career.

Last Time it Happened
The last Southeast player to finish a season as the Ohio Valley Conference scoring leader was Roy Booker in 2005-06. Booker averaged 22 points per game and drained 73 three-pointers in 27 games that year. Since then, the closest the Redhawks came to having a player lead the league in scoring was 2013-14 when cousins Tyler Stone (19.3 ppg) and Jarekious Bradley (19 ppg) ranked second and third, respectively.

Dalton Second in Assist/Turnover Ratio
Point guard Jonathan Dalton enters the week ranked second in the Ohio Valley Conference in assist/turnover ratio. Dalton has a team-high 67 assists to 24 turnovers for a 2.8 ratio through 13 games. He dished out five or more assists eight times and went turnover free on four occasions this season. Dalton ranks third in the league with 5.2 assists per contest.

OVC Rankings
The Redhawks rank among the top five in the Ohio Valley Conference in free throw percentage (5th, .741), 3-point field goal percentage (2nd, .385), assist/turnover ratio (3rd, 1.2) and 3-point field goals made (2nd, 8.4 per game). Individually, Denzel Mahoney leads the league in scoring (18.6 ppg), Justin Carpenter is fifth in field goal percentage (.554) and Jonathan Dalton is third in assists (5.2 apg), and second in assist/turnover ratio (2.8).

Active Streaks
Denzel Mahoney has started 46-consecutive games. Mahoney scored in 45 contests during his college career. He opened the season with 21 points against Missouri Baptist (Nov. 10) and 25 at Louisiana Tech (Nov. 13), and scored a career-high 27 vs. Hannibal-LaGrange (Nov. 28).