CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.– Josiah Wallace scored 29 points and Eastern Illinois (15-14, 8-9) escaped with a 72-70 win over Southeast Missouri (7-23, 3-14) Thursday night at the Show Me Center.
 
EIU swept SEMO with a pair of close two-point victories this season.
 
SEMO trailed, 36-26, at halftime, but battled back to take a 68-67 lead on a Skyler Hogan layup with 2:07 left in the game.
 
Wallace, however, scored the next four points before Caldwell's layup off Nygal Russell's inbound pass made it a 71-70 game with 4.5 seconds on the clock.
 
Shareef Smith split two free throws and SEMO had one last chance, but Caldwell's baseline jumper came off the win as time expired.
 
Caldwell's shot, had it gone down, would have tied the game as he got both of SEMO's final shots off against the Panthers this year. At EIU on Jan. 25, Hogan missed a game-winning 3-point attempt in a 61-59 loss as time ran out.
 
In the final home game of his career, senior Hogan started strong by scoring the game's first five points in a quick 36 seconds.
 
EIU later tied things up at 10-10 on a jumper by Wallace with 12:26 remaining in the first half.
 
Trailing, 22-16, SEMO pulled to within three on a 3-pointer by Hogan. 
 
The Panthers then went on a 14-5 run to build a 36-24 advantage. Wallace scored back-to-back baskets to cap the surge with under a minute left.
 
Senior Quatarrius Wilson led SEMO with a season-high 19 points. Wilson also grabbed eight rebounds in his final home game as a Redhawk.
 
Sage Tolbert followed with a double-double 16 points and 14 boards, while Hogan added 14 points, including 10 in the first half.
 
SEMO outrebounded EIU, 42-36, and outscored the Panthers, 44-36, in the second stanza.
 
Wallace shot 13-of-24 from the field and 3-of-4 at the free throw line en route to his game-high. Marvin Johnson contributed 11 points as the other Panther in double figures.
 
SEMO wraps up its season at UT Martin Saturday.