Hot Redhawks seek payback against Eagles

~ Tennessee Tech handed Southeast its biggest OVC loss this season.

Southeast Missouri State on Thursday night ended the three-game winning streak of a team it lost to earlier in the season.

The Redhawks will try to pull off that same feat tonight when Tennessee Tech visits the Show Me Center for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

On Dec. 9 in Cookeville, Tenn., the high-powered Eagles handed Southeast its only Ohio Valley Conference loss of more than three points.

Southeast led by three points at halftime and was tied with less than 13 minutes remaining, but the Eagles pulled away for a 91-76 victory. Tech outscored the Redhawks 52-34 in the final period.

"We were pretty disgusted with our performance that night," Southeast junior guard David Johnson said. "We really owe them."

The Redhawks (7-12, 5-5 OVC) are anxious to show Tech just how much they have improved since that last meeting.

Tennessee State got the message Thursday night. After Southeast lost by three points on Dec. 7 in Nashville, Tenn., the Redhawks crushed the Tigers 92-78 in the rematch as the game was not nearly that close.

Southeast led by 30 points in the first half, by 22 points at halftime and the margin never dipped under 17 points until the final two minutes.

The Redhawks have won four of their last five games as they have moved to within a half-game of fourth place in the 11-team OVC. All four of those victories have been by double digits.

"We've been getting a lot better," said Southeast junior forward Brandon Foust, who has 58 points and 25 rebounds in the last three games.

Southeast coach Scott Edgar knows the Redhawks will have to continue performing at the top of their game to beat the Eagles (9-9, 5-4), who have gotten on a roll themselves.

Tech is in a three-way tie for fourth place in the OVC, just ahead of the seventh-place Redhawks.

"They are an outstanding team," Edgar said. "I have as much respect for Tennessee Tech's talent as I do for any team in the OVC."

Not only are the Eagles widely regarded as among the OVC's most physically talented squads, they have also had Southeast's number in recent years.

Tech has won the past eight meetings between the teams, with Southeast's last victory in the series being a 75-71 decision during the 2002-03 season.

If the Redhawks are to finally break through against Tech, they'll probably have to at least slow down what is arguably the OVC's top backcourt.

That didn't happen during the earlier meeting as guards Belton Rivers and Anthony Fisher went wild against Southeast.

Rivers, a muscular 6-foot-4 senior, torched the Redhawks for a career-high 33 points. He hit six of 10 shots from 3-point range.

Fisher, a 6-2 junior, added 19 points while making five of seven 3-pointers.

But it's not like the pair has only lit up Southeast this season.

Rivers and Fisher are the OVC's top two scorers, with averages of 18.6 and 18 points per game, respectively.

In conference play, they also rank first and second but in the opposite order, with Fisher averaging 19.9 points and Rivers 18.4.

Both players are shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range, Rivers 40.5 (60 of 148) and Fisher 40.4 (40 of 99). Rivers has made the most 3-pointers of any OVC player.

"Those two are as good a guard combination as you'll see at this level," Edgar said. "They can take over a game."

As a team, Tech leads the OVC in 3-point percentage at 37.3, but in conference play Southeast is actually a bit better from beyond the arc. The Redhawks rank No. 2 in league games at 38.3 percent, while the Eagles are third at 38.2.

Southeast freshman guard Marcus Rhodes is the OVC's top 3-point shooter in conference play at 52.2 percent (12 of 23).

While the Eagles do not have an overpowering inside game, 6-7 junior forward Amadi McKenzie is averaging 12.7 points while ranking second in the OVC in rebounding with a 7.9 average. He is third in the league in field-goal percentage at 57.2.

McKenzie scored 22 points during Thursday's 76-64 win at Eastern Illinois. Fisher also had 22 points.

Tonight's matchup figures to be entertaining. Tech and Southeast rank first and second in the OVC in scoring, averaging 75.9 and 70 points per game, respectively, while in conference play the Redhawks (78.3) are first and the Eagles (73.9) second.

In league games, Southeast leads the conference not only in scoring, but also in 3-pointers made, blocked shots and steals.

The Redhawks are 5-0 when scoring 80 points or more. Four of those performances have come in their last five games.

"We've come such a long way since we played Tennessee Tech the last time, but I know they have improved a lot also," Edgar said. "It should be a great game at the Show Me Center, and hopefully our fans will really come out to support us."