Southeast Missouri (4-15, 0-6 OVC) at SIU Edwardsville (4-15, 1-5 OVC)

Date: Thursday, January 23, 2020
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m., CT
Location: Edwardsville, Ill.
Arena: Vadalabene Center (4,000)
Series History: SEMO leads, 20-11
Last Meeting: SIUE 87, SEMO 86 (3 OT) (Jan. 24, 2019 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Head Coaches: Rick Ray (84-155 overall; 47-95 at SEMO; 24-50 OVC). Brian Barone (4-15 overall; 4-15 at SIUE; 1-5 OVC).

Media Coverage
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com
Twitter: @SEMOMBB
Southeast Missouri Notes (PDF)

Redhawks Head to SIUE
Southeast Missouri (4-15, 0-6) begins a four-game road stretch when it visits SIU Edwardsville (4-15, 1-5) Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., CT, at the Vadalabene Center.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to Thursday's game live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean will call the action. Video is available at ESPN+. Live stats can be accessed at SIUECougars.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOMBB.

Series History
Southeast Missouri leads its all-time series against SIU Edwardsville by a count of 20-11. SEMO has won four of the last six meetings between these teams. SIUE, however, beat the Redhawks twice a year ago. The last two games in the series were high scoring affairs as SIUE averaged 90.5 points and SEMO averaged 87 in those contests.

Tough Early Stretch
The early part of Southeast Missouri's Ohio Valley Conference slate included matchups with Austin Peay, Murray State, Belmont and Tennessee State -- presently the top four teams in the conference standings. Combined, those teams are 51-24 overall and 21-3 in conference play this year. SEMO already played APSU and MSU twice during its first three weeks of the conference season. 

SIUE Ties
Southeast Missouri first-year assistant coach Tarrance Crump spent three years as an assistant coach at fellow Ohio Valley Conference member SIU Edwardsville (2016-18). SEMO head coach Rick Ray coached Crump when he was a student-athlete at Purdue.

Caldwell Hits 200
Alex Caldwell reached 200 points this season when he scored nine against Murray State (Jan. 18). Caldwell leads Southeast Missouri with 12 double-digit scoring games this season. He is SEMO's leading scorer with 10.5 points a game. 

OVC Member
Southeast Missouri is in its 29th season as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. SEMO first joined the league when it moved to NCAA Division I in 1991-92. The Redhawks are 188-288 all-time in OVC play. SEMO last had a winning OVC record in 2016-17 (9-7).

Road Trip Ahead
The Redhawks hit the road for their next four games. The four-game sretch is Southeast Missouri's longest in Ohio Valley Conference play this year. SEMO visits SIU Edwardsville (Jan. 23), Eastern Illinois (Jan. 25), Morehead State (Jan. 30) and Eastern Kentucky (Feb. 1) during that span.

Looking for First Road Win
Southeast Missouri is 0-9 in true road games this season and has dropped 11-straight road contests dating back to last year. The Redhawks last road win was an 88-79 victory at Eastern Illinois on Feb. 16, 2019.

Redhawks Give Racers All They Can Handle
The Redhawks played their best game of the season to date in a close 96-91 overtime loss to rival Murray State (Jan. 18). SEMO and MSU exchanged leads nine times and there were 10 ties in the game. The Redhawks trailed by 17 (37-20) with 3:51 remaining in the first half before closing out the opening stanza on a 20-4 run to pull to within a point (41-40) at the intermission. SEMO led in the second half all the way until Tevin Brown's 3-pointer regained a 73-71 edge for the Racers at the 3:04 mark. Brown then made two free throws to send the game to overtime.

Redhawks Score Season High
The Redhawks scored a season-high 91 points against Murray State (Jan. 18). Southeast Missouri had scored no more than 79 points in its first 18 games.

Nicholas Goes Over 20 Again
Freshman DQ Nicholas registered his third 20-plus point performance of the season when he dropped in 21 to lead Southeast Missouri against Murray State (Jan. 18). Nicholas finished off another strong week, this time by averaging 18.5 points, two rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in two games. He led the Redhawks in both of their games last week.

Career-High for Russell
Nygal Russell established a career-high 13 points in his latest effort against Murray State (Jan. 18). Russell shot 4-of-7 from the field and drained a 3-pointer. He also grabbed three rebounds, dished out two assists and had a block in 23 minutes. Russell scored double figures in back-to-back games for the second time in his career.

All Nineteen
Guard Skyler Hogan and forward Sage Tolbert are the only two players who have started all 19 games for Southeast Missouri this year. Hogan has made 24-straight starts and Tolbert  logged 27-consecutive starts dating back to last season.

OVC Start
The Redhawks are off to a 0-6 start in Ohio Valley Conference play with all of their losses to the top four teams in the league. Southeast Missouri dropped road games at Austin Peay (78-63, Jan. 2) and Murray State (81-59, Jan. 4), and suffered home losses to Belmont (89-64, Jan. 9), Tennessee State (75-73, Jan. 11), Austin Peay (84-59, Jan. 16) and Murray State (96-91, Jan. 18). SEMO is presently the only OVC team without a conference win.

Three in Double Figures
The Redhawks had three or more players finish with double figures in the scoring column for the 12th time this season against Murray State (Jan. 18). DQ Nicholas scored 21 points, Sage Tolbert and Sklyler Hogan each had 16 and Nygal Russell pitched in 13.

3-Point Difference
Southeast Missouri has made 106 three-pointers through 19 games, fewest in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks are averaging 5.6 three-pointers per contest and made 31.5 percent (106-of-237). SEMO has shot under 30 percent from beyond the arc a total of nine times this year. The Redhawks shot under 20 percent on three occasions. Opponents have made 151 threes and hold a 453-318 (+135)  advantage in points behind the 3-point line.

About SIU Edwardsville
SIU Edwardsville stands 10th in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with an overall record of 4-15 and 1-5 in the conference. SIUE has lost five in a row since upending Belmont in Nashville, Tennessee on Jan. 2. Zeke Moore leads the Cougars and ranks 10th in the OVC with 13.8 points a game. SIUE ranks 10th in the league in scoring with 66.4 points per contest.