CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Denzel Mahoney scored a game-high 22 points to lead a short-handed Southeast Missouri (8-10, 2-3) team to a 78-75 victory over Morehead State (4-12, 0-5) Thursday night at the Show Me Center.

SEMO played with only seven players, one of which was non-scholarship. The Redhawks used a strong first half and managed to hang on down the stretch en route to keeping MSU winless in the Ohio Valley Conference.

"It was a really good team victory for us tonight," said SEMO head coach Rick Ray. "To be in this situation with seven players coming into this game, it was big for us. I was proud of the way we stepped up to beat a good Morehead State team." 

SEMO set the tone early by going on a 22-8 run in the first 9:30 of the game.

MSU had eight of its 10 first-half turnovers during that stretch which led to 16 Redhawk points. Mahoney knocked down three 3-pointers, while Ledarrius Brewer also added nine points of his own to key the surge that ended on Brewer's trey with 10:20 left to play.

SEMO again led by 14 (32-18) at the 4:44 mark when Justin Carpenter made two free throws. The Eagles answered with a 10-0 run after that and pulled to within four, 32-28, on De'von Cooper's 3-pointer 2:41 later.

The Redhawks scored five unanswered points to take a 37-28 lead at the half. 

Things would get interesting in the second half when MSU used a 12-0 run to take a 48-46 edge on Cooper's 3-pointer with 12:15 remaining.

The Eagles, however, never led by more than two points as the Redhawks continued to answer.

SEMO went on to lead by at least seven points on five occasions in the last 7:21 and was up, 69-61, after Brewer hit a pair of free throws at the 5:14 mark.

MSU didn't go away quietly in the final 42 seconds as it nearly came back.

The Redhawks made 4-of-6 free throws in the last 31 ticks and led, 78-75, after Jonathan Dalton split a pair with 12 seconds. MSU had two chances to tie the game in the final four seconds, but Lamontray Harris and A.J. Hicks each missed from long range.

Mahoney shot 8-of-15 from the field, made three 3-pointers and grabbed four rebounds en route to his team-high eighth 20-point effort this season and 44th time scoring double figures in his career. He has now scored double-digits in 15-consecutive games.

Brewer followed with 16 points, Daniel Simmons added 15, Mark Laros had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Dalton finished with 10 points.

SEMO shot 51 percent (26-of-51) from the field and 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half alone.

Hicks scored 21 points and Harris turned in a double-double 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead MSU. The Eagles outscored the Redhawks, 47-41, in the second half.

SEMO was without Isaiah Gable (foot fracture), starting forward Milos Vranes, reserve guard Ray Kowalski and guard Dondre Duffus (blood clot). Vranes and Kowalski are out due to illness.

Meanwhile, Carpenter battled through a stomach virus to score two points and grab four rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.

The Redhawks close out their brief two-game home stand against Eastern Kentucky Saturday. Tip-off is set for 4:15 p.m., CT.