Eastern Illinois extends Redhawks' losing streak

Southeast Missouri State had one of its few strong shooting performances this season during a victory at Eastern Illinois on Jan. 5.

The Redhawks made 53 percent of their field goal attempts in that contest to win going away by 12 points.

In Wednesday night's rematch at the Show Me Center, the Redhawks shot more like what has been their norm this season -- and not surprisingly their long losing streak continued.

Southeast hit 19 of 53 from the floor -- an icy 35.8 percent -- as EIU breezed to a 60-49 victory in a battle between two of the Ohio Valley Conference's bottom feeders.

"We just can't score," said Southeast coach Gary Garner, whose squad entered play Wednesday last in the OVC in shooting percentage at .395. "It's pretty much been the same story all year."

The Redhawks (6-18, 3-15), scoring their lowest point total of the season, suffered their 11th consecutive loss as they extended what is already the program's longest skid on the Division I level. They have not won since that earlier game at EIU.

Southeast dipped back into last place in the 11-team OVC, one-half game behind Morehead State, although the squads are tied for the same number of wins.

"It's real frustrating, not to win a game," Southeast sophomore point guard Paul Paradoski said. "But we're still playing hard. We're still trying to have fun, and trying to win as many games as we can."

EIU (6-18, 5-13) is not all that much better off than Southeast, although the Panthers are now a solid ninth place in the conference as they snapped a four-game losing streak.

"They played good," Paradoski said. "We didn't play as well as them."

The Redhawks led only twice all game, at 8-6 and 10-8.

Southeast then went more than 4 minutes without a point as EIU used an 11-0 run to take control at 19-10 midway through the first half.

The Redhawks, down 30-21 at halftime, trailed 32-21 early in the second half. They chipped away and appeared poised to at least threaten the win column when senior guard Roy Booker's two free throws with 4:38 left pulled them within 46-43.

But EIU senior guard Josh Gomes answered 23 seconds later with a four-point play as he was fouled by Booker on a successful 3-pointer and made the free throw.

That started a game-clinching 11-0 run for the Panthers, who built a 57-43 lead with under two minutes remaining and coasted home.

"It's real frustrating, to lose so many games," senior center Waylon Francis said. "But everybody is still playing hard and we still think we can win some."

Booker, the OVC's top scorer at 22.5 points per game before Wednesday, led the Redhawks with 15 points, but he continued his severe late-season shooting slump by making just 4 of 16 from the field, including 1 of 7 from 3-point range.

"We were able to win with our defense," EIU coach Mike Miller said. "Jake Sinclair and Mike Robinson did a good job on Booker and the rest of the guys did a good job, too."

Francis continued his solid late-season play with the first double-double of his Southeast career. He scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

"Waylon is playing his butt off. He's really playing to his potential," Garner said. "He just keeps getting better."

Paradoski had nine points and four assists, as he was Southeast's only starter to shoot 50 percent (4 of 8).

Sophomore forward Bobby Catchings paced EIU with 18 points. Gomes added 13. The Panthers, also offensively challenged, didn't shoot all that much better than Southeast at 41.1 percent (23 of 56), but they made 7 of 17 3-pointers compared to 2 of 13 for the Redhawks.

"They made shots in the first half. That was the big difference," Paradoski said.

Garner said he continues to see plenty of fight in the Redhawks, who have been down to seven available scholarship players for a while now.

"I told them after the game the effort and togetherness is there," Garner said. "We made a lot of mistakes, but I'm proud of how they've hung in there. We just talk about staying together and fighting."

With just three games left -- including Saturday's nonconference matchup at California-Riverside -- the Redhawks are fast running out of time to get another victory.

"Only having seven people, it's tough to play," Paradoski said. "But we're hanging in there, and we still want to win."