Southeast Missouri (11-11, 6-3 OVC) at Eastern Illinois (7-15, 3-6 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, January 28, 2023
Tip-Off: 3:30 p.m., CT
Location: Charleston, Ill.
Facility: Lantz Arena (5,400)
Series: SEMO leads, 34-26
Head Coaches: Brad Korn (36-45 overall; 36-45 at SEMO; 23-23 OVC). Marty Simmons (294-289 overall; 12-41 at EIU; 6-21 OVC).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: EIUPanthers.com
Twitter: @SEMOMBB
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)

Redhawks Head to Eastern Illinois 
Southeast Missouri (11-11, 6-3) travels to Eastern Illinois (7-15, 3-6) in Ohio Valley Conference action Saturday. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m., CT at Lantz Arena.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean will be on the call. Video can be accessed at ESPN+. Live stats are available at EIUPanthers.com and Twitter updates will be provided @SEMOMBB.

Series History
Southeast Missouri holds a 34-26 lead in its all-time series against Eastern Illinois. SEMO has won four-straight games vs. EIU and eight of the last 10 matchups between the teams. The Redhawks swept the Panthers during each of the previous two seasons and have won in four of their last five trips to Charleston.

Leader Log Jam
Southeast Missouri is among five teams tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference standings entering Saturday's matchups. SEMO, UT Martin, Morehead State, Southern Indiana and Tennessee Tech all have identical 6-3 conference records. Of that group, the Redhawks beat Morehead State and Tennessee Tech so far this year.

On a Roll
The Redhawks have heated up to win six of their last eight games to get themselves into a share of the top spot in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. Southeast Missouri's only two losses during that stretch came against UT Martin (Jan. 5 and Jan. 19). SEMO recently finished up a three- game homestand with wins in two of those contests.

Halfway Point
Southeast Missouri is halfway through its 18-game Ohio Valley Conference slate. Saturday's matchup with Eastern Illinois begins SEMO's final nine-game stretch of the season.

January Winds Down
The Redhawks conclude January with a trip to Eastern Illinois Saturday. Southeast Missouri is 5-2 in January, its best month of the season. The Redhawks are averaging 82.4 points per game and have shot 46 percent (209-of-454) from the field in January games. Phillip Russell and Chris Harris have led the charge with 23.3 and 16.2 points per game, respectively, during this month alone.

Comeback Kids
Southeast Missouri pulled off its largest come-from-behind win when it overcame a 16-point deficit to beat Tennessee State (Jan. 26), 92-75. SEMO trailed, 17-1, a little over five minutes into the game. The Redhawks then outscored TSU, 49-31, and shot 51.5 percent (17-of-33) from the field in the second half to close out their victory. SEMO scored over 90 points for the third time in five games.

Russell Drops in 30
For the second time this season and third in his career, Phillip Russell scored 30 points in a game. Russell finished with a game-high 30 points in his latest outing against Tennessee State (Jan. 26). He shot 8-of-15 from the field, buried four 3-pointers and made a near-perfect 10-of-11 free throws. Russell also dished out nine assists in 35 minutes. He also scored 37 at Morehead State (Jan. 21) a week ago.

Clark Out for Season
Forward Kobe Clark will miss the rest of the 2022-23 season with a knee injury. Clark initially suffered his season-ending injury during the second half of SEMO's game against UT Martin on Jan. 19. A native of St. Louis, Clark is the Redhawks top rebounder and shot blocker. He averaged 8.7 rebounds and accumulated 23 blocks in 19 games and 15 starts. Clark also ranked sixth on the team in scoring with 6.6 points per game and had 10 or more rebounds on seven occasions.

First Career Double-Double for Harris 
Chris Harris matched career-high 23 points and pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds to lead Southeast Missouri to its win over Tennessee Tech (Jan. 21). Harris shot 8-of-17 from the field and made four 3-pointers in his second 20-point effort in three games. It was SEMO's third double-double of the season.

Marginally Speaking
Southeast Missouri dominated Tennessee Tech on the glass and, as a result, matched its largest rebounding margin of the season at +17. SEMO outrebounded the Golden Eagles, 50-33, and held a 15-3 advantage on the offensive end. The 50 rebounds are the Redhawks most in a game this season and most since they outrebounded Eastern Illinois, 50-25, on Jan. 30, 2021.

6-3 in the OVC
Southeast Missouri is 6-3 with nine games to go in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Redhawks are working to get a winning record in OVC play for the first time since 2016-17 (9-7).

Smart Delivers
Aquan Smart registered a career-high 14 points as one of four Redhawks who scored in double figures against Tennessee State (Jan. 26). Smart drained 3-pointers on two of his four field goals made. He added 4-of-5 free throws, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. It was his second-straight game with double figures in the scoring column.

High Scoring Redhawks
The Redhawks scored over 80 points in seven of their nine Ohio Valley Conference games. Southeast Missouri surpassed 90 points in three of its last four games with a 92-75 win over Tennessee State (Jan. 26), 94-71 win vs. Lindenwood (Jan. 12) and a 91-86 victory at Morehead State (Jan. 14). SEMO leads the OVC with 82.2 poins per game and a +4.1 scoring margin in league play.

Top of the OVC
Southeast Missouri leads the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring (82.2 ppg), scoring margin (+4.1), assists (15.2 apg) and turnover margin (+3.3) in league games. SEMO scored over 80 points in seven of its OVC contests. The Redhawks are also forcing 15.2 turnovers a game in OVC action.

About Eastern Illinois
After going on a four-game winning streak, Eastern Illinois has since dropped five of its last six contests. EIU is one of three teams in the Ohio Valley Conference with 15 or more losses. The Panthers are last in the league in free throw percentage (.621), 3-point field goal percentage (.305), rebounding offense (34 rpg), rebounding defense (39 rpg), rebounding margin (-5.0) and 3-point field goals made (112). Cape Girardeau native Kinyon Hodges leads EIU with 14.4 points per game and is averaging 16 in league action. Hodges was named OVC Newcomer of the Week each of the last two weeks.

Russell Surpasses 100 Assists
Phillip Russell, who ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference with 4.9 assists per game, recently went over 100 this year. Russell has 103 assists and has dished out five or more a total of 10 times in 2022-23. He had a season-high nine assists vs. Tennessee State (Jan. 26) and averaged 8.5 in his last two games alone. He needs just two more to reach 200 career assists.

Harris is Rolling
Chris Harris is second on the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game through 21 games and 19 starts. He scored double figures in each of his last 12 contests and leads the Redhawks with 51 career double-digit scoring games.

10 or More 3-Pointers
The Redhawks matched a season-high 13 three-pointers in their 87-82 loss to UT Martin (Jan. 5). Southeast Missouri has made 10 or more 3-pointers in seven games this year. SEMO is third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 185 threes through 22 games.

3-Pointer Streaks 
Chris Harris has made a 3-pointer in 23-straight games dating back to the 2021-22 season. Phillip Russell drained a 3-pointer in 21-straight contests. Russell leads Southeast Missouri with 53 three-pointers, while Harris follows with 41. Russell and Harris have accounted for 50.8 percent of SEMO's 185 made threes this year.

OVC Top Two
Individually, Phillip Russell is second in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring (17.9 ppg) and assists (4.9 apg). Russell is also second in assist/turnover ratio (1.8).