'DOGS FLASH TEETH, TALENT AT SE 84-72; LOUISIANA TECH PUTS ON SHOW

Southeast Missouri State University's basketball Indians finally got their offense going in the second half Monday night.

But by then, it was too late. The talented Louisiana Tech Bulldogs were also on a roll by that time and their sizzling shooting controlled the final 20 minutes as they posted an 84-72 victory.

The Indians fell to 2-2 overall with the loss in front of 4,573 fans at the Show Me Center. The Bulldogs improved to 2-0, having also won at Baylor.

Southeast coach Gary Garner said before the contest that the Bulldogs would be one of the most talented teams to ever play in the Show Me Center.

And Louisiana Tech certainly proved Garner right, particularly with a second-half display that saw them hit 17 of 27 shots (63 percent) to easily withstand every charge Southeast could muster.

The Indians shot 53 percent in the second half -- but were still outscored 51-42.

"We just got beat by a very talented basketball team," said Garner. "They have so many weapons. We got into so many defensive mismatches and they took advantage of them.

"We finally got our offense going in the second half. But by that time, they got going. We knew their runs would come."

Both teams struggled in the first half, which ended with the Bulldogs on top 33-30. Southeast shot 40 percent in the opening 20 minutes while Tech was at 38 percent.

"We didn't do a good job of running our offense in the first half, but I think they (Southeast) had a lot to do with that," said Tech coach Keith Richard. "We finally got going in the second half."

The Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers both had scouts at the game to watch Tech's Lonnie Cooper and Southeast's Bud Eley. Neither disappointed.

Cooper, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, scored 23 points, 15 coming in the second half. He hit five of six 3-pointers.

Eley, a 6-10 senior center, scored 22 points, 18 coming in the second half as he was virtually unstoppable around the basket. Eley hit 10 of 17 shots, grabbed nine rebounds and had three assists.

"We knew he (Eley) would be tough to stop," Richard said. "We didn't mind him getting some as long as some of the other guys didn't beat us."

Craig Jackson hit eight of 12 shots and scored 18 points while 6-9 Florida transfer Kendrick Spruel added 17 points and seven rebounds.

Junior forward Roderick Johnson was Southeast's only other player in double figures as he scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Tech shot 50 percent overall from the field (28 of 56), including 10 of 19 (53 percent) from 3-point range.

"I told my staff that if the game got into the 70s, we'd get beat. Not only did it get into the 70s, it got into the 80s," said Garner. "We had to keep it in the 50s or 60s to win."

Both teams were sluggish offensively in the early going and Tech led 9-6 about halfway into the opening 20 minutes.

But then things really picked up and the game turned into an extremely entertaining affair.

Southeast held a few first-half leads before Spruel's 3-pointer five seconds before halftime put the Bulldogs ahead 33-30 at the break.

Eley scored the first four points of the second half to put the Indians up 34-33.

It was 36-36 when the Bulldogs used their explosive offense to begin to take charge. Cooper and Jackson hit 3-pointers to spark a quick 8-0 run that gave Tech a 44-36 lead.

A short while later, leading 48-41, Cooper drilled a trey and Jackson hit two shots for a quick 7-0 run that made it 57-44 with nine minutes left.

It was 58-45 when the Indians scored on six straight possessions -- but saw the Bulldogs answer each time.

Southeast finally got its deficit back to single digits when Cory Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 1:44 left, making it 74-67.

The Indians had a chance to draw closer, but Johnson missed a long 3-pointer.

Tech then iced the win by hitting eight straight free throws, six by Cooper.

"We were able to answer at some tough moments," Richard said. "We hit some big shots, some tough shots."

Said Garner, "We didn't start the game the way we wanted to and forced a lot of shots. We got our offense straightened out and got the ball inside in the second half. But it was too late."

Added Garner regarding the Bulldogs, "That's a great basketball team. They're eight or nine deep. It will be interesting to follow them. I think Oklahoma State will be the only more talented basketball team we'll play this year."

The Indians will be off until Dec. 3, when they open Ohio Valley Conference play at Austin Peay.