COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Phillip Russell scored 29 points and made three free throws to tie the game with five seconds left, but Brett Thompson buried a game-winning shot at the buzzer to send Tennessee Tech (11-14, 7-5) to an 82-80 win over Southeast Missouri (13-12, 8-4) Saturday at the Eblen Center.
 
Thompson fouled Russell behind the 3-point line with 5.2 seconds on the clock. Russell, SEMO's best free throw shooter, headed to the free throw line and calmly made all three of his shots to tie the game at 80-80.
 
Thompson made up for his foul by making a pullup jumper in the paint as time expired allowing the Golden Eagles to hang on.
 
SEMO was down 17 (56-39) with 15:46 left to play in the second half before coming all the way back to tie the game.
 
Russell put on a show in the final 20 minutes scoring 22 of his points to go along with four 3-pointers and six free throws.
 
After SEMO narrowed TTU's lead to 70-62, offsetting technical fouls resulted in both teams making two free throws to keep it an eight-point contest.
 
Russell scored a layup and Chris Harris was fouled and split two free throws on the next two SEMO possessions to slice TTU's lead to 72-67 with 4:45 on the clock.
 
The Golden Eagles, despite going over three minutes without a field goal, increased their lead to nine with four-straight free throws before Russell followed with a 3-pointer. Russell's three closed TTU's lead to 78-72 at the 2:29 mark.
 
Aquan Smart got a steal and Dylan Branson scored a second-chance basket to get SEMO within four and the Redhawks missed a 3-pointer after getting another stop defensively.
 
TTU came up empty the next time it had the ball and SEMO missed another shot from the top of the key. 
 
After Ty Perry split two free throws, Branson scored a layup on the other end to make it a one-possession game at 79-76 with 33 seconds.
 
On TTU's ensuing possession, Erik Oliver was fouled and missed both of his free throws. SEMO rebounded the second miss and Russell was fouled.
 
Russell made his first shot and TTU rebounded the miss on his second attempt. Diante Wood went to the free throw line and split his two free throws before Russell later tied the game.

TTU shot 58 percent and outscored SEMO, 30-12, from 3-point range in the first half. 
 
Israel Barnes' fast break layup gave SEMO a 16-15 edge, but TTU answered with a 12-2 run over the next 2:43 to grab a nine-point lead.
 
Thompson, Oliver and Nolan Causwell each made a 3-pointer to key the surge that ended on Causwell's three to put the Golden Eagles ahead, 27-18, with 10:27 remaining in the first half.
 
Barnes continued to give the Redhawks a nice lift off the bench scoring the next six points on a pair of 3-pointers to close TTU's margin to three. Barnes drained his first three after Nate Johnson grabbed the offensive rebound. He then pulled up to hit another trey to make it a 27-24 game with 8:15 to go.
 
The Golden Eagles used a 20-5 run with the help of five-straight field goals to push its lead to 47-29 with 3:05 left.
 
SEMO used a 7-0 to trim TTU's lead to 47-36 at the half.8-of-19 from the field with four 3-9-pointers and a near-perfect 9-of-10 free throws. Russell was fouled 10 times in the game.
 
Harris followed with 21 points. He, too, made four 3-pointers and missed only one free throw (5-of-6). Harris also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Barnes added 13 points, as well.
 
SEMO shot 50 percent (13-of-26) and outscored TTU, 44-35, in the second half. 
 
TTU, which made 14 three-pointers, was led by Jaylen Sebree's 22 points. Thompson was next with 16 points, including his game-winner.
 
SEMO, now second in the OVC standings behind Morehead State, returns to action at Tennessee State Feb. 9.