Southeast Missouri (4-8, 2-4 OVC) at Morehead State (9-6, 6-2 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021
Tip-Off: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Morehead, Ky.
Arena: Ellis T. Johnson Arena (8,500)
Series: MSU leads, 32-19
Last Meeting: MSU 64, SEMO 50 (Jan. 16, 2021 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Head Coaches: Brad Korn (4-8 overall, 4-8 at SEMO; 2-4 OVC). Preston Spradlin (55-75 overall; 55-75 at MSU).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
TV: ESPNU (Will Flemming, David Padgett)
Live Stats: MSUEagles.com
Twitter: @SEMOMBB
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)

Redhawks Continue Road Stretch 
Southeast Missouri (4-8, 2-4) continues its road stretch when it travels to Morehead State (9-6, 6-2) for a nationally televised ESPNU matchup Thursday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., CT at Ellis T. Johnson Arena.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can watch Thursday's game on ESPNU with Will Flemming and David Padgett calling the action. Listen live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM with Erik Sean handling the play-by-play. Live stats are available at MSUEagles.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOMBB.

Live on ESPNU
The Southeast Missouri and Morehead State will be televised live on ESPNU as part of the Ohio Valley Conference's 2020-21 ESPN basketball linear television schedule. SEMO and Morehead State mark the fourth game selected in the league's linear television package. 

TV Exposure
The Redhawks play on national television for the first time in 2020-21 when they face Morehead State Thursday. This year marks the first time Southeast Missouri plays a linear television ESPN game. The last time SEMO played on the ESPN linear network was at then-#10 Indiana on Dec. 4, 2016 (L, 55-83). That game aired on ESPN2.

Redhawks on ESPNU
Southeast Missouri last won a game on ESPNU when it beat Austin Peay in a 121-116 triple overtime thriller on Jan. 29, 2008 in Cape Girardeau. The combined 237 points in that game are a Show Me Center record. This year marks the fourth time SEMO plays on ESPNU since the 2012-13 season. The Redhawks last televised ESPNU game was a 78-72 home loss vs. Murray State on Feb. 4, 2016.

Another TV Nugget
The Redhawks last win outside of Cape Girardeau on linear ESPN television came in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship game vs. Murray State on Mar. 5, 2000. Southeast Missouri beat the Racers by a score of 67-56 on ESPN to claim its only NCAA Tournament berth in program history. 

First Road Win
Southeast Missouri picked up its first true road victory of the Brad Korn era when it defeated Tennessee State, 63-59, in the only Ohio Valley Conference game played Tuesday. The Redhawks ended a 23-game losing streak in true road games. SEMO's last true road win came at Eastern Illinois (88-79) on Feb. 23, 2019.

Season Sweep
With its 63-59 win Tuesday, Southeast Missouri completed a two-game sweep of Tennessee State this season. The Redhawks won both games by four points. SEMO defeated TSU, 83-79, in double overtime on Jan. 2 (Cape Girardeau) before winning in Nashville this week. It was the first time SEMO beat the Tigers twice in a season since 1998-99. 

Four Wins vs. NCAA Division I Foes 
The Redhawks fourth win of the 2020-21 campaign came at Tennessee State on Jan. 4. Last year, Southeast Missouri had only five wins against NCAA Division I teams. Three of those victories were in Ohio Valley Conference play, while the other two were against Purdue Fort Wayne and Denver in non-league action. 

That's A Lot of Free Throws
In its wins over Tennessee State this year, Southeast Missouri shot 86 free throws. The Redhawks outscored TSU, 63-36, for a +27 margin at the free throw line in those contests.  SEMO's 40 made free throws against the Tigers on Jan. 2 tied a single-game program record. Additionally, there were 108 fouls between SEMO and TSU in two games this season.

We Meet Again
Southeast Missouri and Morehead State hook up for the second time in five days Thursday. SEMO is looking to avenge an earlier 64-50 loss to the Eagles in Cape Girardeau on Jan. 16. The Redhawks played MSU a day after exiting their COVID-19 quarantine period with only one practice in preparation for that game. 

Series History
This week marks the 52nd meeting between Southeast Missouri and Morehead State. MSU has gone 17-3 in the last 20 matchups in the series. The Eagles lead the all-time series, 32-19. SEMO is 6-19 against MSU in Morehead and last won at Ellis T. Johnson Arena on Feb. 8, 2018 (78-62). MSU won 13 of the last 15 games against SEMO on its home court.

Harris Sends Redhawks to Victory
Chris Harris led Southeast Missouri with 17 points and made two huge free throws with 14 seconds left against Tennessee State (Jan. 19). Harris made a career-high 10-of-12 free throws and pulled up to bury a huge 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game with 2:28 on the clock after TSU pulled within three. It was Harris' team-high ninth double-digit scoring game this season.

Patterson Nets Season-Best
Manny Patterson gave the Redhawks some strong minutes off the bench at Tennessee State (Jan. 19). Patterson dropped in a season-high 10 points during his first double-digit scoring performance as a Redhawk. He shot 3-of-3 from the field and 4-of-6 at the free throw line. Patterson also had six rebounds and three blocks in 15 minutes.

Nicholas For Three
DQ Nicholas, who made just three 3-pointers through his first 11 games this season, went 3-of-6 from downtown in his latest effort at Tennessee State (Jan. 19). Nicholas finished with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds in that game. The three 3-pointers made are a career-high.

Last Time vs. Morehead State
In its first game in over a week, Southeast Missouri dropped a 64-50 decision to Morehead State in Cape Girardeau on Jan. 16. SEMO played for the first time since Jan. 7 after being on pause due to COVID-19 protocols. The Redhawks practiced only once and had a pregame shootaround before facing the Eagles. SEMO scored a season-low 50 points and was outscored 33-19 in the second half during that game. The 19 points also marked the lowest in a half for the Redhawks this year.

About Morehead State
Morehead State is on a five-game winning streak, its longest since winning seven in a row from Feb. 11-Mar. 13, 2016. MSU's 6-2 Ohio Valley Conference start is also its best eight-game record since 2009-10. The Eagles  boast the league's top scoring defense. Opponents are averaging 63.7 points a game against MSU this year. MSU has held a program record five consecutive conference opponents to 61 points or less. The Eagles have not lost a game in the last two seasons (12-0) when any opponent scores 60 points or less. Johni Broome and De'Von Cooper lead MSU in scoring with 11 points per game. Both Broome (10) and Cooper (11) scored double figures against the Redhawks on Jan. 16.

Redhawks Resume Play
Southeast Missouri's Department of Athletics paused men's basketball activities due to COVID-19 protocols on Jan. 8. As a result, SEMO did not play its originally scheduled Ohio Valley Conference games at Tennessee State (Jan. 9) and UT Martin (Jan. 11). The Redhawks are making up those games during their current road trip. SEMO beat TSU, 63-59, on Jan. 19 and  will play at UTM on Jan. 26. 

Lengthy Road Stretch 
Sandwiched between the Redhawks games at Tennessee State (Jan. 19) and UT Martin (Jan. 26) are road matchups with Morehead State (Jan. 21) and Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 23) this week. Southeast Missouri is on the road for an entire week from Jan. 19-26.

Akenten Playing Well
Nana Akenten led Southeast Missouri with a double-double 20 points and 11 rebounds at Belmont (Jan. 7). Akenten then topped the Redhawks with 14 points vs. Morehead State (Jan. 16). He made four 3-pointers against the Eagles, marking the third time he drained four in a game this year. He stands at fifth on the team in scoring (9.1 ppg) and leads SEMO with 6.1 rebounds per contest.

Leading at Halftime
The Redhawks have either led or been tied at halftime in eight of its 12 games this season. Southeast Missouri held a 35-33 edge at the intermission at Ohio Valley Conference leader Belmont (Jan. 7). It was the first time SEMO led at the half in 10 meetings with the Bruins. All four of the Redhawks wins have come when they led at the half this year.

Long Ruled Eligible
On Jan. 14, the NCAA ruled nearby Sikeston native Parker Long eligible to play. Long logged six minutes in his first career game at Southeast Missouri vs. Morehead State (Jan. 16). Twelve of the 14 players on SEMO's roster have now played this season.  

Close Games
Southeast Missouri, which has been outscored by a tight 3.4 margin, dropped three contests in overtime and one on a last second shot since its 2020-21 campaign began on Nov. 28. SEMO has lost twice by double figures (77-66, at Belmont, Jan. 7; 64-50, vs. Morehead State, Jan. 16) and won four games by no more than five points.

Reed Jr. Back in the Starting Lineup
Eric Reed, Jr. scored double figures in two of his last four games since rejoining the starting lineup on Dec. 30 (at Tennessee Tech). Reed, Jr. scored 14 points at Tennessee Tech and followed that up with 13 vs. Tennessee State (Jan. 2). He enters Thursday's game as Southeast Missouri's second-leading scorer with 10.2 points per game.

Multiple Threes
Eric Reed, Jr. has gone seven of his last eight games with at least two made threes. Reed, Jr. has made multiple 3-pointers in nine of his 12 contests this year. He buried a season-high three 3-pointers vs. Southern Illinois (Dec. 2), Lipscomb (Dec. 7) and at Evansville (Dec. 15). Reed, Jr. ranks first on the team with 23 three-pointers in 2020-21.

3-Point Percentage
Southeast Missouri ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference with a .350 3-point field goal percentage. The Redhawks have made 89-of-254 three-pointers through 12 contests. SEMO is averaging 7.4 three-pointers a game. 

Top Scorer
Chris Harris scored double figures for the ninth time in 11 starts this season when he finished with 17 points against Tennessee State (Jan. 19). Harris, who leads Southeast Missouri and ranks sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference with 15.1 points a game, has scored over 20 points twice this year. He also ranks third on the team with 21 three-pointers made. Harris finished as SEMO's leading scorer six times thus far. 

Working Overtime
The Redhawks went to overtime four times in 10 games this year. Southeast Missouri lost at home to Southern Illinois (87-79) on Dec. 2 and at Lipscomb (80-74) on Dec. 9. The Redhawks also fell to Evansville (66-63) on the road on Dec. 15 and beat Tennessee State (83-79) at home on Jan. 2. SEMO was involved in only one overtime game in 31 contests last season. SEMO's three overtimes against non-conference foes were the most in program history. The Redhawks four overtimes overall are their most in a season since they played five overtime games in 1997-98.

Board Certified
The Redhawks outrebounded their opponent seven times this season. Southeast Missouri ranks fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference with a +3.9 rebounding margin and is outrebounding its opponents, 431-396. The Redhawks are also averaging 9.6 offensive rebounds per contest.

Give it to the Big Man
Redhawks big man Nolan Taylor ranks third on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.9 rpg). Taylor has scored double figures in six of his 12 starts and just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine boards at Evansville (Dec. 15). Taylor established season-bests in points (16), assists (5) and minutes (28) against Lipscomb (Dec. 7). He previously scored 10 points vs. Kansas City (Nov. 28) and 14 vs. Southern Illinois (Dec. 2). Taylor is also the Redhawks third-best free throw shooter with a 67.3 percent clip (33-of-49). SEMO is the third Division I school Taylor has played basketball at. Prior to joining the Redhawks, he spent two seasons at Pepperdine and two at Cal Poly. Taylor's 2019-20 campaign was limited to 14 games due to injury.

Seeing Double
The Redhawks currently have two players averaging double figures in the scoring column. Chris Harris leads the way with 15.1 points per game. Eric Reed, Jr. follows with 10.2 points per contest. 

OVC Top-Five
The Redhawks rank among the top five Ohio Valley Conference teams in several categories thus far. Southeast Missouri is third in 3-point field goal percentage (.350), fourth in rebounding defense (33 rpg), fifth in rebounding margin (+2.9), fifth in defensive rebounds (26.3 rpg), first in defensive rebound percentage (.794) and fourth in 3-point field goals made (7.4 per game).