Phillip Russell ties SEMO record as Redhawks edge Trojans

As Phillip Russell goes, Southeast Missouri State goes.

The sophomore point guard scored 37 points with 10 assists for a double-double to lead the Redhawks (13-11, 8-3 OVC) past the Little Rock Trojans (7-17, 3-8 OVC) 99-98 on Thursday in the Show Me Center.

“He's just he's hard to deal with because he's a three-level guy,” SEMO head coach Brad Korn said on Russell. “He's a one-man press break, makes good plays, is very crafty off a ball screen. He can make 3s, can make pull-ups, can get to the rim. So just being a multi-faceted three-level guy and a very high basketball IQ, there's just not a whole lot you can do with him.”

Russell tied SEMO's all-time NCAA Division I single-game scoring record for the second time this season. He made three of his four 3-pointers in the second half, where the Redhawks outscored the Trojans 58-48.

“Anybody who watches the game knows that Phil's our guy,” SEMO senior guard Chris Harris said. “Having him just be that steady force for us, even when he was out (on Jan. 19 vs. UT Martin) he was still on the bench screaming at us and making sure we're all in our sets and things like that. So Phil's been our guy, he's been a great leader on the court and off the court. He's, hard to stop when he gets going.”

Russell shot more free throws than anyone else in the game, making 15-of-18. His last five free throws in the final minute sealed the win for the Redhawks.

“When he's aggressive and getting downhill, and we were in the bonus,” Korn said, “it just makes it extremely hard to guard because you have to pressure him but at the same time you're kind of playing with fire.”

Russell said the key to his performance comes down to knowing and attacking the spots can lead to a quick trip to the charity stripe.

“I know that nobody in this league can really stand in front of me,” Russell said. “So I know if I blow past mid-way and try to get my body back up to him, it’s an automatic foul every time.”

The Redhawks spent much of the first half down double digits to the Trojans. Freshman Adam Larson made three 3-pointers to keep hope alive for SEMO. An offensive rebound and dunk by Josh Early got SEMO within single digits going into halftime.

SEMO entered the second half on a 13-4 run to tie the game 54-54 after the first four minutes. As both teams continued to trade leads, a pair of clutch 3-pointers by Russell with nine minutes left in the game gave SEMO a 72-70 lead that they would maintain through the final eight minutes.

Harris finished with 16 points, Early scored 15 points and Dylan Branson chipped in 11 points for the Redhawks. As a team, SEMO shot 14-of-27 from the three-point line.

CJ White led the Trojans with 22 points, followed by 20 points from Isaiah Palermo, 17 from DeAntoni Gordon, 15 from Myron Gardner, and 13 from Nigel John.

SEMO is tied for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference with Morehead State. The Redhawks travel to Tennessee Tech on Saturday at 3 p.m.