Redhawks are half of last-place showdown

~ Southeast carries 11-game losing streak into BracketBuster game.

Southeast Missouri State coach Gary Garner desperately wants to see the joy on his players' faces after a victory at least one more time this year.

"Before the season is over, I really want to walk into the locker room and see the faces light up after a win," Garner said.

With just three games remaining in this disastrous campaign, the chance of that happening becomes less and less probable.

Considering that the Redhawks finish their Ohio Valley Conference schedule next week against two of the league's better teams -- Samford and Jacksonville State -- their best opportunity to break their long losing streak just might come tonight.

Southeast (6-18) plays at the University of California-Riverside (3-19) in a 6:05 tipoff as part of the ESPN BracketBuster series.

Both the Redhawks and Highlanders are at the bottom of their respective conferences. Southeast, which has lost 11 straight games, is tied for last place in the 11-team OVC with a 3-15 record. UC-Riverside is all alone in last place in the eight-team Big West Conference at 3-8.

Southeast Missouri State has fallen to No. 311 of 334 teams in the RPI rankings on cbssportsline.com, while UC-Riverside is 312th.

"We've both struggled this year, no question about it," Garner said.

Tonight's game is certainly not a marquee matchup in the BracketBuster series, which pits midconference teams that may have a chance for a splash in the NCAA tournament.

But the Redhawks are looking at is an opportunity, just as the Highlanders are.

"It's a game we can win, if we can just shoot the ball a little better," Garner said. "And I'm sure they're looking at it as a game they can win."

Shooting has been Southeast's most glaring weakness this season. Even before the Redhawks became so shorthanded -- they are down to seven available scholarship players -- they struggled in that department.

The Redhawks are last in the OVC in field-goal percentage at .394. They are averaging just 63.3 points per game. Both are by far the lowest figures in Garner's nine seasons at Southeast.

"We just haven't shot the ball well all year," Garner said. "I never in my wildest dreams thought we'd struggle this much offensively.

"You look at our defensive field-goal percentage [.439]. If we hold a team to that every game, I'd have bet we'd win nine out of 10. But we just can't score."

But the Redhawks should be in fine company tonight, because UC-Riverside has also struggled with its marksmanship this season.

Although the Highlanders are averaging 67.1 points per game, they are shooting just 39.5 percent from the field, including a woeful 29.5 percent from 3-point range.

"I guess they've shot it as poorly as we have," Garner said.

Unlike Southeast, which has been relatively solid defensively, UC-Riverside has also floundered in that area. Opponents are averaging 80.4 points per game against the Highlanders, while shooting 49.6 percent.

"We know they've had a bad season like we have, so hopefully we can get this one," Southeast sophomore point guard Paul Paradoski said. "We haven't given up. We're still playing hard. We know we can't get to the [OVC] tournament, but we'd still like to win some more games."

Senior guard Rickey Porter leads the Highlanders in scoring at 13.7 points per game, and he is hitting a solid 35.8 percent of his 3-pointers.

Southeast shouldn't be bothered by a rowdy UC-Riverside home-court advantage. The Highlanders have averaged just 773 fans for their 11 games at their Student Recreation Center, where they are 1-10.