CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Six players scored double figures and Antonius Cleveland led the way with a double-double 13 points and 11 rebounds to send Southeast Missouri (14-16, 9-6) to an 82-69 victory over Murray State (14-15, 8-7) Thursday night in front of a raucous crowd of 5,225 at the Show Me Center.

With the win, SEMO moved into sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference West Division. The Redhawks also clinched a spot in next week's OVC Tournament. And, to top it all off, SEMO swept the Racers in a season for the first time in 74 years.

"I'm so appreciative of our fan base," said an elated head coach Rick Ray. "When our guys saw that, they were immediately energized. Our seniors played great and it was a true team victory. Especially, with six players in double figures."

SEMO's entire starting five reached double figures in the scoring column for the first time this season and MSU had no answer. The Redhawks dished out 23 assists on 31 made baskets and that was another big key to their success.

"We have been good on the offensive end because of our ability to share the basketball," added Ray. "Murray State changed defenses a lot and our guys figured it out and handled it accordingly."

In the 75th meeting between the heated rivals, the first half played out as expected.

Both teams went back-and-forth to two ties and seven lead changes in the first half.
 
After Terrell Miller dropped in a 3-pointer, SEMO broke a 24-24 tie with a 14-4 run to take a 38-28 lead. Tahj Eaddy buried a 3-pointer on the front and back end of that surge which ended at the 2:34 mark.
 
Cleveland threw down a one-handed dunk off a missed jumper by Eaddy to give SEMO a 40-28 advantage before the Redhawks headed into the locker room ahead, 40-33.
 
SEMO shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and scored 18 of its points from 3-point range.

The Redhawks kept pouring it on in the second half, where they shot a red-hot 65.2 percent on 15-of-23 makes.

At one time, Jonathan Stark's jumper sliced SEMO's lead to 43-39 with 15:55 left to play, but that was as close as the Racers would get.

SEMO did not let its lead dip below double-digits for the final 6:10 of the game and led by as many as 16 when Denzel Mahoney knocked down a jumper to make it 78-62 at the 2:38 mark.

Cleveland grabbed his team-high 10th career double-double and third this season. He also dished out a career-high seven assists in 34 minutes.

Mahoney led all SEMO scorers with 14 points, while Eaddy and Jamaal Calvin each chipped in 13, Trey Kellum added 10 points and seven boards, and Jaylen Benton dropped in 10 off the bench.

SEMO shot 56.4 percent (31-of-55) and drained 12 three-pointers for the night.

Bryce Jones led MSU with 18 points and Stark and Terrell Miller turned in 17 apiece. Gee Mcghee scored 10 for the Racers, as well.

The eight-team OVC Tournament field is now set and includes Belmont, Morehead State, SEMO, Murray State, UT Martin, Jacksonville State, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech.

SEMO closes out its regular-season at home against Austin Peay Saturday. Tip-off is set for 4:15 p.m., CT. If the Redhawks win, they will win the OVC West Division and lock up the No. 2 seed (and receive a double bye to the semifinals) in next week's tournament.

Postgame Notes: SEMO won its 10th home game, improving to 10-3 at the Show Me Center...It was the first time the Redhawks had 10 home victories in a season since 2011-12...SEMO clinched its first winning record in OVC play since 2011-12 (9-7)...Antonius Cleveland tied SEMO's all-time career record with his 106th start tonight...The Redhawks will make their 15th all-time OVC Tournament appearance this season and advance to the league's postseason event for the sixth time in seven years...SEMO is in position to win the OVC West, something it has never done since the league split into divisions in 2012-13...The Redhawks have also never gone to an OVC Tournament higher than a #6 seed since the league moved to its current eight-team merit-based tournament format...There was a big moment for a lucky fan who made both a 3-pointer and halfcourt shot in 22 seconds two win a motorcycle at halftime...The motorcycle was from Lawless Harley Davidson in affiliation with Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.