Southeast Missouri (6-11, 1-3 OVC) at Tennessee Tech (6-11, 1-3 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, January 13, 2024
Tip-Off: 3 p.m., CT
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Facility: Eblen Center (9,280)
Series: TTU leads, 38-21
Head Coaches: Brad Korn (50-62 Overall; 50-62 at SEMO; 28-31 OVC). John Pelphrey (196-219 Overall; 47-93 at TTU; 30-47 OVC).

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

Redhawks and Golden Eagles
Southeast Missouri (6-11, 1-3) heads to Tennessee Tech (6-11, 1-3) for an afternoon matchup Saturday. Tip is set for 3 p.m., CT at the Eblen Center.

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 TTUSports.com. Updates will be provided on X (formerly Twitter) @SEMOMBB.

Series History
Saturday marks the 60th meeting between Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech. TTU holds a 38-21 lead in the all-time series. A year ago, SEMO won two of three games against the Golden Eagles. The second of those victories was an 89-82 overtime win in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game in Evansville, Indiana. The Redhawks are 5-25 against TTU in Cookeville and look to end a six-game losing streak at the Eblen Center.

Road Stretch
The Redhawks will be on the road for four of their next five games. After visiting Tennessee Tech, Southeast Missouri hosts SIU Edwardsville (Jan. 20) before closing out January on a three-game road trip with stops at UT Martin (Jan. 25), Little Rock (Jan. 27) and Lindenwood (Jan. 30).

Matinee Matchup
Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech head into Saturday's matchup with identical overall (6-11) and Ohio Valley Conference (1-3) records. SEMO and TTU are tied at the bottom of the OVC standings. The Redhawks and Golden Eagles each beat Southern Indiana for their only conference wins of the season.

Looking to Regroup
The Redhawks fell to their third-straight Ohio Valley Conference loss when they came up short in a 74-68 defeat against Lindenwood at the Show Me Center Thursday. Southeast Missouri also dropped an 83-64 decision to Morehead State (Dec. 31) at home and fell to Western Illinois (Jan. 4), 68-61, on the road. MSU and WIU are tied for first with 4-0 league records. The first-year OVC member Leathernecks are also on a league-best eight-game winning streak.

Second Half the Difference 
Lindenwood scored the first seven points of the second half to open a double-digit lead and never looked back en route to getting its first Ohio Valley Conference win over Southeast Missouri Thursday. SEMO trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half before cutting the Lions lead to single digits several times in the final six minutes. Adam Larson's 3-pointer made it a four-point game with 3.3 seconds left, but that was as close as the Redhawks would get. LU shot 62.5 percent (15-of-24) from the field in the second half and was powered by a double-double 42 points and 11 rebounds from Keenon Cole.

Earley Burst
Josh Earley scored double figures and led the Redhawks in scoring during each of his last three starts. Earley scored 18 points at Western Illinois (Jan. 4), 14 vs. Bethel (Jan. 6) and 16 against Lindenwood (Jan. 11). He shot 61.7 percent (21-of-34) from the field and averaged six rebounds per start in that stretch.

Back-to-Back Double-Digit Games for Eursher
For the first time in his career, Evan Eursher has scored double figures in back-to-back games. Eursher came off the bench to tie a career-high 13 points vs. Bethel (Jan. 6) and finished with 11 five days later against Lindenwood (Jan. 11).

Road Warriors
The Redhawks played their eighth road game this season at Western Illinois (Jan. 4). SEMO is presently 0-8 away from Cape Girardeau with a 0-7 mark in true road games. Southeast Missouri dropped 11-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.

3-Pointer Streak
As a team, Southeast Missouri has made at least one 3-pointer in 476 consecutive games. The last time SEMO did not make a 3-pointer was vs. Western Illinois
(0-of-6) on Dec. 10, 2008.

About Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech, which did not play Thursday, goes after its second-straight Ohio Valley Conference win after beating Southern Indiana, 73-59, on Jan. 6. TTU ended a four-game losing streak with that victory. Jayvis Harvey is the Golden Eagles top scoring threat with 15.5 points per game. Harvey ranks eighth among the league's top 10 scorers. David Early is not far behind Harvey at 10th in the OVC with 14.3 points per contest. TTU is last in the conference in steals averaging just five per game.