CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Nana Akenten scored 13 points to lead four starters in double figures as Southeast Missouri (6-10, 4-6) stomped Eastern Illinois (5-13, 2-9), 75-44, Saturday at the Show Me Center.

SEMO, which is on a winning streak for the first time this season, improved to 4-3 at home. The Redhawks also won an Ohio Valley Conference home game by over 30 points for the first time since 2016-17. SEMO beat Eastern Kentucky, 81-48, on Dec. 31 that year.

The Redhawks never let up in their dominating complete game effort.

SEMO took control of the game early and used an 8-0 run to build a 16-8 lead just a little over 10 minutes in. Darrious Agnew came off the bench to score the last four points of that surge with his jumper putting the Redhawks ahead, 16-8, with 9:59 left to play in the first half.

Harris' layup later gave SEMO its first double-digit lead at 23-12 and the Redhaws lead didn't dip below 10 points for the remainder of the opening stanza.

The Redhawks scored the final eight points of the first half and Akenten drained a 3-pointer with four seconds to go before they headed into the locker room with a comfortable 38-20 advantage.

EIU's 20 first-half points were the fewest of any opponent SEMO faced this season. The Redhawks held the Panthers to just 22.2 percent from the field on 6-of-27 attempts.

SEMO continued to rough up the Panthers in the second half and ran its lead to 30 (72-42) on Akenten's layup with 3:11 to go before capping its largest victory of 2020-21.

The Redhawks shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from the field in the second half and 47.4 percent (27-of-57) for the game. SEMO also outrebounded EIU, 50-25, and man-handled the Panthers in points in the paint (32-2), points off turnovers (20-6), second chance points (17-3) and fast break points (12-0).

Akenten, who returned from an ankle injury he sustained in the first half, shot 5-of-10 from the field, knocked down three 3-pointers, had five steals and pulled down five rebounds.

Harris and Patterson followed with 11 points apiece. Patterson, who made his first SEMO start for Nolan Taylor (out with a knee injury), made 3-of-6 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws in 15 minutes.

DQ Nicholas chipped in 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Nicholas grabbed a total of 24 rebounds in his last three starts.

EIU shot a mere 26.4 percent (14-of-53) from the field for the game. Josiah Wallace was the only Panther in double figures with 11 points. 

SEMO handed EIU its eighth-consecutive loss.

The Redhawks host rival Murray State Monday.