RICHMOND, Ky.– Southeast Missouri (6-13, 1-5) made a furious comeback to erase a double-digit deficit and tie the game in the final seconds, but JacQuess Hobbs made a jumper at the buzzer to give Eastern Kentucky (9-10, 2-4) an 85-83 win Saturday night at McBrayer Arena.
 
Hobbs' game-winner came right after freshman Alex Caldwell made a clutch shot, was fouled and completed a 3-point play to tie the game with seven seconds on the clock.
 
Caldwell's shot capped a ferocious 17-8 run over the final 3:33 after SEMO was down by 12 with 5:47 remaining.
 
The game was tied on three occasions, but SEMO fell short of getting a lead for the entire contest.  
 
Mayo scored 10 points in the first 7:04 of the game to help EKU take an early lead.
 
The Colonels pulled ahead, 10-5, behind a pair of 3-pointers from Mayo before Skyler Hogan made a jumper and Caldwell buried a three to tie the game with 17:01 left in the first half. 
 
After Caldwell and Ledarrius Brewer each missed a 3-pointer that would have given SEMO the lead, EKU put together a 10-3 run to build a 20-13 advantage. Mayo added four more points with a pair of free throws and a jumper during that surge that ended on a Kelvin Robinson layup with 12:40 remaining.
 
SEMO battled back to tie the game for the second time on Hogan's layup at the 9:27 mark. Deadlocked at 20-20, Cameron Carmical hit a 3-pointer on EKU's next possession.
 
Carmical's shot ignited a 21-10 run as EKU built a double-digit lead just before Hogan drove the lane for a layup as time expired to cut the Colonels margin to 41-32 at the intermission.
 
The Redhawks scored eight of the first nine points in the second half to quickly slice EKU's lead to one. Brewer nailed a pair of 3-pointers and Sage Tolbert threw down a dunk off a nice pass from Caldwell to make it a 42-40 game with 18:34 to go.
 
EKU answered again, this time with a 15-6 jaunt to push its lead to 57-46.
 
Eight of SEMO's final 17 points of the game came at the free throw line. Dalton was fouled in the act of shooting a 3-pointer and buried three free throws to cut EKU's lead to 81-80 with 19 seconds left.
 
Hogan led three Redhawks in double figures with 20 points on 5-of-8 field goals and season-best 10-of-13 free throws. He also grabbed five rebounds in his second 20-point effort this year.
 
Brewer followed with 14 points and Caldwell chipped in 10.
 
SEMO shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) in its big second half, where the Redhawks outscored the Colonels, 51-44. The Redhawks finished with a season-high 23-of-29 free throws.
 
Mayo, who went over 2,000 career points, led EKU with 24. Jomaru Brown and Tre King followed with 17 and 10 points, respectively.
 
For the night, EKU shot 50 percent (27-of-54) from the field.
 
EKU (33) and SEMO (29) combined to shoot 62 free throws in the game.
 
The Redhawks return to Cape Girardeau to host SIU Edwardsville on Jan. 24.