Eastern Illinois (3-7) vs. Southeast Missouri (4-6)

Game Information
Date: Thursday, December 19, 2024
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Show Me Center (7,000)
Series: SEMO leads, 37-31
Last Meeting: EIU 75, SEMO 57 | 2/15/24 | Charleston, Ill.
Last Meeting in Cape Girardeau: SEMO 78, EIU 64 | 2/16/23

Head Coaches
Eastern Illinois: Marty Simmons (313-321 overall; 31-73 at EIU; 16-38 OVC)
Southeast Missouri: Brad Korn (57-79 overall; 57-79 at SEMO; 31-42 OVC)    

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Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF) 

OVC Play Begins
•    Southeast Missouri continues its four-game home stand when it hosts Eastern Illinois in its Ohio Valley Conference opener Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., CT at the Show Me Center.
•    The 2024-25 season is SEMO's 34th year as a member of the OVC.
•    The Redhawks have an all-time record of 213-328 in conference games.
•    SEMO is 31-42 in OVC play under Head Coach Brad Korn. Korn led the Redhawks to their second OVC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022-23.
•    That year, SEMO was 10-8 in league action.                                                        

Series Notes
•    Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois meet for the 69th time Thursday.
•    SEMO holds a 37-31 advantage in the all-time series.
•    The Redhawks are 19-12 against the Panthers at the Show Me Center. EIU has lost in its last three trips to Cape Girardeau.
•    SEMO is 6-1 against the Panthers under Head Coach Brad Korn.

Happy Holidays
•    The Redhawks first two Ohio Valley Conference games, home contests against Eastern Illinois (Dec. 19) and SIU Edwardsville (Dec. 21), are their final two matchups before the Christmas holiday.
•    After this week's games, SEMO will return to action when it hosts Westminster on Dec. 29 and resume OVC play at Tennessee State on Jan. 2.

OVC Openers
•    Southeast Missouri is in 11-22 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference openers.
•    SEMO ended a six-game losing streak in such games with its 93-91 overtime victory over Southern Indiana (Dec. 29) a year ago.
•    The Redhawks are 1-3 in OVC openers under Head Coach Brad Korn.
•    SEMO begins a conference season against Eastern Illinois for the third time in program history.
•    The Redhawks previously opened OVC play vs. the Panthers in 2001-02 and 2002-03. SEMO lost both of those games by scores of 84-74 in Charleston on Jan. 5, 2002 and 85-75 in Cape Girardeau on Jan. 4, 2003.

Redhawks Crush St. Mary of the Woods
•    Southeast Missouri ended a two-game losing streak with a 93-56 win over St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15).
•    The 37-point victory is SEMO's second-largest of the season.
•    SEMO scored 48 first-half points against the Pomeroys for its most in an opening half of basketball thus far.
•    The Redhawks had five players score double figures, including Brendan Terry (17), Troy Cole, Jr. (14), Rob Martin (13), Teddy Washington, Jr. (12) and Braxton Stacker (11).
•    SEMO's 93 points matched a season-high.
•    The Redhawks also posted season-highs in assists (20), steals (14) and free throws made (16).

About Eastern Illinois
•     Eastern Illinois comes to Cape Girardeau with a 3-7 record. The Panthers' three wins are fewest in the Ohio Valley Conference so far.
•    EIU is 0-7 on the road as one of three OVC schools without a road victory this year. Lindenwood (0-5) and Tennessee Tech (0-5) are the others.
•    The Panthers are averaging a OVC low 68.2 points per game and are last among league teams in free throw percentage (.622), scoring margin (-7.7), field goal percentage (.419), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.347) and 3-point field goals made (5.1 per game).
•    EIU is led by Nakyel Shelton who is the OVC's leading scorer with 18.2 points per game.

Korn in the OVC
•     Brad Korn has an all-time record of 31-42 in Ohio Valley Conference games.
•    Korn guided Southeast Missouri to its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in over two decades during the 2022-23 campaign.
•    It was SEMO's second OVC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth in program history.
•    In 2022-23, the Redhawks finished fifth in the OVC with a 10-8 record and became the first #5 seed to win an OVC Tournament.
•    SEMO's other conference records under Korn include 9-11 (2020-21), 8-9 (2021-22) and 4-14 (2023-24).

Four-Game Home Stand
•     Southeast Missouri is in the middle of a season-long four-game home stand.
•    After Thursday's game against Eastern Illinois, SEMO will host SIU Edwardsville (Dec. 21) and Westminster (Dec. 29). 
•    The Redhawks are at home for six of their next eight contests.

Terry Rises

•     Brendan Terry, who has started all 10 games this season, scored double figures in three of his last four outings.
•    Most recently, Terry scored a season-high 17 points vs. St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15).
•    Most recently, Terry scored 12 points and had six rebounds at Murray State (Dec. 8). and pitched in 14 points vs. Kansas City (Nov. 30).
•    Terry is SEMO's fourth-leading scorer (7.9 ppg) and third-leading rebounder (3.5 rpg).

3-Pointer Streak
•    The Redhawks have made at least one 3-pointer in 499 consecutive games.
•    The last time Southeast Missouri did not make a 3-pointer was vs. Western Illinois (0-of-6) on Dec. 10, 2008.
•    SEMO has made 74-of-246 threes at a 30 percent rate this season.
•    The Redhawks drained 11 or more threes in a game three times this year.

Redhawks Ninth in the Nation Defending the Three
•    The Redhawks rank ninth in the nation in 3-point percentage defense out of the 355 NCAA Division I teams. 
•    Opponents are shooting just 26.4 percent from downtown against Southeast Missouri this season.
•    SEMO has held its opponent to five or less 3-pointers made in six of its 10 games in 2024-25.

80 or More
•    Southeast Missouri has scored 80 or more points a total of four times this season.
•    SEMO scored a season-high 93 points in wins over NAIA opponents Crowley's Ridge College (Nov. 13) and St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15).
•    The Redhawks finished with 82 points vs. Chattanooga (Nov. 17) and 80 against Kansas City (Nov. 30), also home games.
•    SEMO is 3-1 in games where it is scoring 80 or more points.

Washington, Jr. Tabbed OVC Newcomer of the Week
•    Southeast Missouri won its first Ohio Valley Conference award of the season when Teddy Washington, Jr. was named Co-Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 2.
•    A native of Blytheville, Arkansas, Washington, Jr. had a season-high 28 points in SEMO's win over Kansas City (Nov. 30).
•    He knocked down a season-best seven 3-pointers, added five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 31 minutes.
•    Washington, Jr.'s seven threes are the second-most in a game by an OVC player this season.
•    It was the second 20-point game for Washington, Jr. in 2024-25.

Washington, Jr. Delivers
•    Newcomer Teddy Washington, Jr. has scored double figures in eight of his last nine games.
•    Washington, Jr. recently scored 12 points in each of his last two starts at Murray State (Dec. 8) and vs. St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15). 
•    He scored over 20 points twice with 25 vs. Chattanoogs (Nov. 17) and a season-high 28 vs. Kansas City (Nov. 30).    
•    Washington, Jr. turned in a double-double in back-to-back starts with 18 points and 12 rebounds vs. Crowley's Ridge (Nov. 13) and 25 points and 10 boards against Chattanooga (Nov. 17).
•    He followed that up with 19 points at Central Arkansas (Nov. 21), 15 vs. UNC Asheville (Nov. 22), 28 vs. Kansas City (Nov. 30), 12 at Murray State (Dec. 8) and 12 vs. St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15).
•    Washington, Jr. is Southeast Missouri's leading scorer with 15.9 points per game and tops the Redhawks with 6.1 rebounds per contest and 22 three-pointers made.
•    He ranks seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring and third in defensive rebounds per game (5.4).

Stacker Returns
•    After missing the first six games due to injury, Braxton Stacker made his 2024-25 debut against Kansas City on Nov. 30.
•    Stacker came off the bench to score 10 points and grab three rebounds in 17 minutes.
•    He also made 3-of-4 free throws and knocked down one 3-pointer against the Roos.
•    Stacker scored double figures for the second time when he pitched in a season-high 11 in 17 minutes vs. St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15).
•    Stacker has played in four games since his return.

Happy to Assist You
•    For the second time this season, Southeast Missouri finished with 20 or more assists in a game.
•    SEMO assisted 20 of its 36 made field goals against St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15) and had a season-high 22 assists on 37 made field goals against Crowley's Ridge College (Nov. 13).
•    The Redhawks are averaging 13.1 assists per game in 2024-25.

Balanced Scoring
•    Southeast Missouri has had three or more players get double figures in the scoring column during seven of its first 10 games this season.
•    Teddy Washington, Jr. leads the way with eight double figure scoring games.
•    SEMO had a season-high five players with double-digit points vs. St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15).

Martin Pours it On
•    Rob Martin tied a career-high 29 points to lead Southeast Missouri against Chattanooga (Nov. 17).
•    It was the 20th double-digit game of his career and fourth game with 20 or more points. 
•    Martin scored double figures in four of his last seven starts and is SEMO's third-leading scorer with 10.6 points per game.
•    He ranks first in the Ohio Valley Conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.8).
•    Martin established a new career-high with seven rebounds against St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15).
•    He leads the team with 23 double-digit scoring performances.

Korn at the Show Me Center
•    Brad Korn finished with a winning record at home each of his first four years as Southeast Missouri's head coach.
•    Korn is 35-23 all-time at the Show Me Center.
•    The Redhawks went 7-6 (2020-21), 8-5 (2021-22), 9-4 (2022-23) and 8-7 (2023-24) at home since Korn took over as head coach.
•    SEMO is 3-1 in Cape Girardeau this year.