Antonius Cleveland had a double-double 18 points and 10 rebounds, and all five starters scored double figures to lead Southeast Missouri (1-10) to a 78-74 win over in-state rival Missouri State (4-8) Tuesday night. Southeast snapped an 11-game losing streak, its fourth-longest in program history. The Redhawks also gave Rick Ray his first win as their head coach.
Missouri State turned the ball over 16 times and shot only 21.4 percent (6-of-28) from three-point range against the Ohio Valley Conference’s top three-point field goal percentage defense. The Bears attempted a season high 28 three-pointers and made just six.
MSU led only once when Dequon Miller’s 3-pointer gave the Bears a 6-5 edge with 18:08 left to play in the first half. After that, Southeast never relinquished its lead. After trailing by as many as a dozen in the second half, the Bears rallied within one point.
SEMO scored 42 points in the paint, compared to 28 by MSU, and finished 29-for-60 (.483) from the field, 6-of-16 (.375) from long range and 14-for-29 (.483) at the line with 11 turnovers and an impressive 11 steals.