Redhawks' latest loss was a step in right direction

It didn't result in a win, but the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team put together an impressive performance during Saturday's 86-85 loss at Murray State.

The Redhawks were mostly bad during the first five defeats of their current six-game slide -- save for a three-point setback at Austin Peay -- but I can't find much fault in the way they played Saturday before a national television audience on ESPN2.

So many of the things Southeast was doing well during its winning streak -- shooting, attacking the basket, getting out in transition, defending, rebounding -- had all gone south, but many of those areas were improved against the Racers.

During the previous five games, Southeast shot 41.6 percent from the field, including 28.8 percent from 3-point range.

Saturday, the Redhawks made 52.4 percent of their field-goal attempts and hit 7-of-17 3-pointers (41.2 percent). They also were below their season average in turnovers with 15, while holding the Racers to 41.8 percent from the field.

But the Racers' 23-of-30 performance from the free-throw line -- compared to 12-of-17 for Southeast -- and their low total of eight turnovers, including just one in the second half, were basically the difference.

I didn't have a big problem with the officiating for most of the game, although I didn't agree with calling that foul on a drive by Murray's Tyler Holloway with 5.8 seconds left when Holloway appeared to be in no position to even take a decent shot.

It looked to me like Holloway got bailed out -- I don't know if the foul was on the shot or not but it didn't matter since Murray was already in the double-bonus -- and the sensational free-throw shooter swished both to provide the winning points.

On the other end, it looked like Southeast sophomore point guard Roderick Pearson got hit on his drive to the basket in the final seconds.

Still, Southeast had some late golden opportunities to all but seal the win.

With 31 second left and the Redhawks leading 85-82, Pearson -- shooting 73.6 percent from the line -- missed the front end of a one-and-one. At least one make there and the Racers would have been hard-pressed to come back.

After the Racers made it 85-84, Pearson lost control of a pass along the sideline near mid-court. The ball went out of bounds with 17 seconds remaining.

Had Pearson maintained possession, Southeast likely would have been fouled. Even two free throws wouldn't have clinched the victory, but would have put the Redhawks in a much better position.

Still, it was a strong performance and effort. If the Redhawks keep playing like that, they should have their share of success the rest of the season.

But the Redhawks need to get going in a hurry, or they could be in danger of missing the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, which would have seemed like a preposterous statement just a few weeks ago when they were leading the OVC at 6-0.

Southeast (11-11, 6-6) is currently in a four-way tie for the sixth through ninth spots, and only the top eight finishers make the tournament.

On the other hand, the Redhawks are just a game out of third place, so they're still in the hunt for a top-four finish and first-round tournament home game.

Up next is another national TV game, Tuesday at home against Austin Peay.

The defending OVC regular-season champion Govs continue to lead the league this year, but they were thumped 63-49 at Samford Saturday, so maybe Southeast will be catching them at the right time.

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As most of you know, Southeast coach Scott Edgar wasn't on hand for Saturday's contest.

Friday, Edgar was handed a one-game suspension by the OVC for his radio tirade against the officials following Thursday's 82-78 home loss to Morehead State.

Edgar's ire was raised after the Eagles shot 48 free throws to 28 by the Redhawks.

While I didn't think the officiating was all that hot, I didn't see it necessarily slanted against Southeast.

Twelve of Morehead's free throws came in the final 45 seconds, after the Redhawks were forced to foul, which accounts for a good portion of the differential.

Anyway, not only did Edgar rip the officials for that night, he also suggested that often times the officiating goes against his squad.

As a fan, you've got to appreciate Edgar showing passion and sticking up for his players, but the statistics don't back him up.

Entering Saturday's game, Southeast had attempted the second-most free throws of any OVC team during conference play.

With 273 foul shots, the Redhawks trailed only Tennessee Tech's 274. No other OVC squad had attempted more than 251.

That seems to suggest the Redhawks are getting at least their fair share of calls, and maybe more.

I think it was probably a case of overall frustration for Edgar at the way the Redhawks had stumbled following their 6-0 OVC start.

Particularly frustrating had to be the Morehead game, as the Redhawks fell behind by 20 points in the second half against a squad picked 10th in the conference's preseason poll (although the Eagles have been the league's biggest surprise so far).

You can't really blame Edgar for being irritated.

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Unlike some fans, I'm not about to totally write off Southeast just yet.

When the Redhawks were 6-0 and seemingly on top of the world, I emphasized they still had a long way to go and people shouldn't get too carried away too soon.

Now, even though things don't look so hot, there is still more than one-third of the OVC schedule left to be played.

The Redhawks probably weren't as good as their six-game winning streak suggested -- remember, they needed last-second shots to win at both Samford and Jacksonville State -- and they're probably not as bad as their six-game losing streak suggests.

The truth probably lies some place in between, and Southeast has eight more conference games to find that happy -- or unhappy -- medium.

Until then, I'll wait to pass final judgement.

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What would the odds be of the coaches of a school's men's and women's basketball program both missing nationally televised games within a week's time?

Pretty astronomical, I would guess.

But it's happened to Southeast.

While Edgar was suspended for the Murray game on ESPN2, Southeast women's coach John Ishee will be suspended for Saturday's home date with Tennessee-Martin on ESPNU.

After being ejected for receiving two technical fouls at Murray, Ishee must automatically miss the Redhawks' next contest, which happens to be Tennessee-Martin.

At least, unlike Southeast's men, the women continue to roll. Saturday's rally from a 15-point, first-half deficit to win 81-74 was the Redhawks' 10th victory in their last 11 games.

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For years, Southeast administrators have talked about constructing some type of building at Houck Stadium to improve the football program's sub-par facilities.

The problem was always finding the money to do it.

Well, it looks like that has changed.

I've been told that Southeast will announce plans for such a building Tuesday, prior to the basketball game against Austin Peay.

Money for the building will not come out of the athletic department budget or from private donations. It will be part of the university's capital improvement project that also has a new dorm in the works.

The building will primarily serve as a game-day locker room facility for the football Redhawks, and will likely include a few other amenities.

Southeast football currently uses a cramped basement area in the Student Recreation Center South -- across the street from Houck Stadium -- as its game-day locker room. The Redhawks also gather there during halftimes of games.

The building appears to be a scaled-back version of what the Southeast administration had at one time hoped to construct, but it's better than nothing.

I don't know that such a building will help recruiting, but it's at least a nice improvement for the current players and coaches.

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Here's wishing longtime Jackson High School football coach Carl Gross all the best in his retirement.

Gross proved to be one of the state's premier coaches during his 19 seasons leading the Indians, and he's a heck of a good guy to boot.

Some of my fondest earliest memories at the Missourian were covering Jackson football and other sports in the community.

I got to know Gross well during that time and still consider him a good friend.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.