NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nana Akenten had a double-double 20 points and 11 rebounds as Southeast Missouri (3-7, 1-3) suffered its first double-digit loss of the season with a 77-66 setback at Ohio Valley Conference leader Belmont (11-1, 5-0) Thursday.

Slow starts in both halves hurt the Redhawks who fell to 0-10 all-time against the Bruins.

Belmont, down two at halftime, began the second half with a 14-2 run as SEMO missed 23 of its 35 field goals in the final 20 minutes.

Despite their struggles to get shots to fall, the Redhawks still played the Bruins closer than any other OVC team this season to date.

SEMO made only three of its first 19 field goals in the second half. 

After falling behind by as many as 12 points with a little over eight minutes to play, the Redhawks battled back to cut the Bruins lead to 64-62 on a pair of free throws by Akenten with 3:22 on the clock.

Belmont made five free throws in the last 52 seconds to complete its eighth consecutive win.

SEMO settled down after a flurry of early turnovers to take a 35-33 halftime lead.

The Redhawks scored the first points of the game on a dunk by Akenten off an alley-oop pass by DQ Nicholas.

However, five SEMO turnovers in the opening five minutes aided a 10-0 Belmont run as the Bruins built an eight-point advantage.

The Redhawks later trailed by 10 (16-6) after a layup by Nick Muszynski with 10:52 remaining in the first half. SEMO then used an 11-2 run in the final 3:18 of the stanza to get ahead of the Bruins.

After making a 3-pointer to get the Redhawks within a point, Akenten tied the game with his trifecta at the 1:30 mark. Nicholas then made two free throws to send SEMO into the locker room with its sixth halftime lead this season.

Akenten became the first Redhawk to get a double-double through 10 games this year. He shot 7-of-17 from the field, made three 3-pointers and hit 3-of-4 free throws.

Jordan Love followed with 12 points, four rebounds and six assists off the bench.

The Redhawks shot 38.7 from the field (24-of-62) and outrebounded the Bruins, 41-36. SEMO shot just 16.7 percent (2-of-12) beyond the arc in the second half.

Additionally, freshman Dylan Branson made his first career start for SEMO's top scorer Chris Harris. Harris was out with a thumb injury he sustained during Wednesday's practice.

Muszynski poured in a game-high 26 points to lead Belmont. He shot 9-of-14 from the field and 8-of-11 at the free throw line.

The Bruins made 48.4 percent (30-of-62) of their field goals and finished with a season-low four 3-pointers made.

Belmont improved to 65-5 against OVC foes at the Curb Event Center.

SEMO returns to action at Tennessee State Saturday.