Southeast Missouri (3-6) at Purdue Fort Wayne (9-1)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023
Tip-Off: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Facility: Memorial Coliseum (13,000)
Series: PFW leads, 4-2
Head Coaches: Brad Korn (47-57 Overall; 47-57 at SEMO; 27-28 OVC). Jon Coffman (165-128 Overall; 165-128 at PFW; 83-75 Horizon League).

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

Back on the Road
Southeast Missouri (3-6) travels to Horizon League member Purdue Fort Wayne (9-1) Saturday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., CT at Memorial Coliseum.

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 online at ESPN+. Live stats are available at GoMastodons.com. Updates will be provided on X (formerly Twitter) @SEMOMBB.

Series History
Southeast Missouri completes a home-and- home series with a return trip to Purdue Fort Wayne this season. PFW holds a 4-2 lead in the all-time series between the teams. The Mastodons won each of the last two games of the series by double figures. PFW beat the Redhawks, 78-65, in Fort Wayne on Dec. 11, 2021 and, 89-68, in Cape Girardeau on Dec. 7, 2022.

Korn vs. the Horizon League
The Redhawks are looking to get Head Coach Brad Korn his first win against a Horizon League opponent when they face Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday. Southeast Missouri is 0-4 in such games with a 0-1 record vs. both Youngstown State and Milwaukee, and a 0-2 mark against PFW. All four of those losses were by double-digits.

Finals Week Ahead
After Saturday's matchup with Purdue Fort Wayne, Southeast Missouri will break for final exams. SEMO will be back in action eight days following that game when it hosts Lindsey Wilson College on Dec. 17. The Redhawks also played PFW before their finals week a year ago.

Two More Before Christmas
The Redhawks play two more games prior to the Christmas holiday after Saturday's trip to Purdue Fort Wayne. Southeast Missouri hosts NAIA foe Lindsey Wilson College (Dec. 17) and travels to Missouri Valley Conference member Illinois State (Dec. 21). The game at ISU will be SEMO's final contest before Ohio Valley Conference play.

Road Warriors
Southeast Missouri will be on the road for the sixth time this season at Purdue Fort Wayne. SEMO is currently 0-5 away from Cape Girardeau. The Redhawks have dropped eight-straight true road games dating back to 2022-23. SEMO's last true road victory was at Eastern Illinois (79-68) on Jan. 28, 2023.

Winning Streak
The Redhawks are on a two-game winning streak for the first time this season. Southeast Missouri started December with back-to-back wins over NAIA opponents Missouri Baptist (84-56, Dec. 3) and Harris-Stowe (95-45, Dec. 6). Both of those victories were in Cape Girardeau where SEMO has won three-straight and holds a 3-1 record.

50-Point Blowout
Southeast Missouri recorded its largest victory in 10 years when it blew away Harris-Stowe, 95-45, on Dec. 6. SEMO shot a season-best 50 percent (35-of-70) from the field and made a season-high 12 three-pointers against the Hornets. It was the biggest win since the Redhawks beat Central Baptist, 118-56 (+62), on Nov. 11, 2013.

Scoring Increasing
After averaging just 60.6 points per game through its first seven contests of the season, Southeast Missouri scored an average of 89.5 in its last two games. SEMO outscored its those opponents by a combined 179-101, winning by 28 (84-56, vs. Missouri Baptist) and 50 (95-45, vs. Harris-Stowe) points, respectively. The Redhawks pushed their scoring average up 6.4 points to 67 per game during that burst.

Defense Rests
The Redhawks allowed their lowest point total of the season when they held Harris-Stowe to just 45 points on Dec. 6. It was the second-lowest points Southeast Missouri held an opponent to under Head Coach Brad Korn. The lowest points given up by the Redhawks are 44 vs. Eastern Illinois (Jan. 30, 2021) with Korn at the helm.

Wire-to-Wire
Southeast Missouri led from start to finish in each of its last two games. It is the first time this season where SEMO has not trailed in four-straight halves of basketball.

Third-Straight Home Win
The Redhawks picked up their third home win in a row when they dis-mantled Harris-Stowe, 94-45, on Dec. 6. Southeast Missouri is now 3-1 at the Show Me Center. Its other home wins include a 70-68 victory over Central Arkansas (Nov. 30 and an 84-56 win over Missouri Baptist (Dec. 3).

Balanced Effort
Southeast Missouri drained a season-high 12 three-pointers in its latest effort against Harris-Stowe (Dec. 6). Seven different Redhawks buried a three in that game. Rob Martin and Adam Larson paved the way with three apiece, while Aquan Smart followed close behind with two. Evan Eursher, TJ Biel, BJ Ward and Gavyn Elkamil all came off the bench to make one 3-pointer. SEMO made over 10 three-pointers for the second time this year.

Martin Springs for Season-High 
First-year Southeast Missouri point guard Rob Martin scored a season-high 19 points in the Redhawks win over Harris-Stowe (Dec. 6). Martin shot 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He scored 11 of SEMO's first 16 points of the game. Martin scored double-digits for the third time in his last four starts.

Martin Third in OVC in Assist/Turnover Ratio
Rob Martin ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference in assist/turnover ratio. Martin leads the Redhawks with 32 assists and has turned the ball over just 17 times for a 1.8 ratio. He dished out a season-high five assists on three occasions this year.

Turnovers Decrease
Southeast Missouri averaged just a little over 10 turnovers (10.3) per game in its last three contests. SEMO had a season-low 10 turnovers at Kansas City (Nov. 30) and vs. Missouri Baptist (Dec. 3). It followed that up with 11 vs. Harris-Stowe (Dec. 6).

Larson Leads the Way
Adam Larson is the Redhawks top scorer with 11.3 points per game through nine contests. Larson scored a career-high 22 points and made a career-best six 3-pointers vs. Evansville (Nov. 25). A day later, he led the Redhawks with 13 points and hit four more threes at Chattanooga (Nov. 26). Larson started six-straight games and leads the team with six double-digit scoring performances.

3-Point Threat
Adam Larson ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference in 3-point field goal percentage. Larson is shooting 42.9 percent on 21-of-49 from beyond the arc. He made 10 of those 3-pointers in two games at the Coke Zero Sugar Classic (Nov. 25-26). Larson buried a career-high six treys vs. Evansville (Nov. 25), falling just three shy of tying his program's single-game record in made threes. Larson drained three or more 3-pointers in five games this season. He also ranks sixth among league leaders in 3-pointers made (2.3 per game).

Tale of Two Halves
Through nine games, Southeast Missouri has been a better team in the second half than it has in the first. SEMO trailed by double figures in the first half a total of five times and fell behind by 12 or more in the opening five minutes on three occasions. Opponents are outscoring the Redhawks, 348-275, in the first half. Meanwhile, SEMO won the second half five times and holds a 328-315 advantage in the final 20 minutes. SEMO overcame a 12-point second half deficit to get its first win of the season vs. Central Arkansas (Nov. 20).

Career-High in Assists
Aquan Smart notched a career-high eight assist to go along with his 10 points against Harris-Stowe (Dec. 6). Smart had all but two of those assists in the first half. He ranks second on the team with 24 assists this season.

Idada Steps Up
Southeast Missouri 7-footer David Idada put together a strong showing at Chattanooga (Nov. 26). Idada scored six points and became the first Redhawk to get double-digit rebounds when he grabbed 12 in that contest. Since he joined the starting lineup in the last two games, Idada finished with nine boards vs. Missouri Baptist (Dec. 3) and seven against Harris-Stowe (Dec. 6).

Happy to Assist You
Point guard Rob Martin leads the Redhawks with 32 assists through nine starts this year. Martin is averaging 3.6 assists per game and has dished out four or more on four occasions. His season-high is five assists at Butler (Nov. 10) and Chattanooga (Nov. 26), and vs. Harris-Stowe (Dec. 6). Martin ranks fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference in assists per game.

Ward Among OVC Leaders
Freshman BJ Ward ranks 12th in the Ohio Valley Conference in steals and 10th in assists entering Saturday's game at Purdue Fort Wayne. Ward has 22 assists and nine steals in eight games off the bench. He collected a season-high three steals at Chattanooga (Nov. 26).

3-Pointer Streak
As a team, Southeast Missouri has made at least one 3-pointer in 468 consecutive games. The last time SEMO did not make a 3-pointer was vs. Western Illinois (0-of-6) on Dec. 10, 2008.

Free Throw Comparison
Opponents are shooting 23.8 free throws and hold a +5.1 advantage over Southeast Missouri's 18.7 free throw attempts per game this season. SEMO has been outscored at the free throw line, 141-107, through nine games. The Redhawks are shooting 63.3 percent (107-of-169) at the charity stripe.

About Purdue Fort Wayne
At 9-1, Horizon League leader Purdue Fort Wayne is off to its best start in program history. PFW, which is on a four-game winning streak, fell to its only loss of the season at San Francisco (76-60. Nov. 22). The Mastodons are coming off a 70-57 road win at Ohio Valley Conference member Southern Indiana. PFW is the Horizon League's top scoring team averaging 88.4 points per game. Defensively, the Mastodons allow just 67.5 points per contest, second-fewest in the Horizon. PFW is shooting a league-best 51.3 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range. Additionally, the Mastodons lead the nation with a +8.5 turnover margin.