CHARLESTON, Ill. – Southeast Missouri (8-11, 3-3) roughed up Eastern Illinois (2-16, 0-5), 87-58, for its largest Ohio Valley Conference road win in program history Saturday at Lantz Arena.
 
SEMO controlled the game from start to finish en route to ending a seven-game losing skid in true road games. The Redhawks also picked up their second-straight win and are 3-3 in league play for the first time in five years.
 
Dylan Branson rallied SEMO with a strong start early by draining a pair of 3-pointers and scoring 10 points in the opening 6:10 of play. Branson later made another basket to finish with 12 points in nine minutes during the first half.
 
Ahead by seven (24-17), the Redhawks pieced together a 14-4 run. Chris Harris' third 3-pointer in a quick 1:21 stretch ignited the surge that ended on a DQ Nicholas 3-pointer that made it a 38-21 game with 3:20 remaining.
 
Harris later nailed his season-best fourth 3-pointer to increase SEMO's lead to 51-29 before the Redhawks headed into the locker room up 51-32.
 
SEMO's 19-point margin marked its largest first-half lead of the season as three Redhawks reached double figures in the scoring column during the first 20 minutes. Branson and Harris each had 12 points, while Nana Akenten followed with 10 points, including nine from downtown.
 
The Redhawks made 10 threes and outscored the Panthers, 30-12, from distance in the first half. SEMO shot 50 percent (18-of-36) from the field overall with nine of its 10 available players scoring in the opening stanza.
 
SEMO continued to man-handle EIU in the second half.
 
The Redhawks started with a 12-4 run in the first 4:40. Nygal Russell and Phillip Russell each drained a 3-pointer and Manny Patterson added a couple layups as SEMO stretched its lead to 63-36.
 
SEMO led by 30 or more points on five occasions and took its biggest lead when Eric Reed, Jr. made a 3-pointer to give the Redhawks a hefty 82-50 advantage with 3:48 to go.
 
The Redhawks 29-point margin of victory surpassed their previous 108-81 (+27) win at Austin Peay on Feb. 28, 2013.
 
For the game, SEMO had a season-high 27 assists and assisted on all but four of its 31 made field goals. The Redhawks shot 49.2 percent (31-of-63) from the field and buried 15 three-pointers along the way. Additionally, SEMO outrebounded EIU, 42-27, for its largest rebounding margin (+15) of the season.
 
Branson's career-high 15 points paced four Redhawks in double figures. Harris and Akenten followed with 14 and 12 points off the bench, and Patterson added 11 points and six rebounds. P. Russell dished out a game-high eight assists and had 15 dishes in his last two starts alone.
 
Kejuan Clements and Dan Luers each scored 14 poins to lead EIU, which lost its ninth-straight game. The Panthers, who do not have a win over an NCAA Division I opponent this year, were outscored 178-109 in their last two contests.
 
SEMO returns home to host OVC co-leader Morehead State in a nationally televised ESPNU matchup on Jan. 27.