Redhawks match school record with 22nd loss

It isn't a record the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team wanted.

The Redhawks tied the school mark for losses in a season with Thursday night's 84-64 defeat at Eastern Kentucky.

Southeast's 14th straight setback, which represents the nation's longest current losing streak, dropped the Redhawks to 3-22 overall and 0-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Only Southeast's 2001-02 squad also lost 22 games, and the current Redhawks still have five contests remaining.

Thursday's defeat in Richmond, Ky., also assured Southeast of finishing in sole possession of last place in the 10-team OVC for the first time ever. Southeast's 2003-04 squad tied for the basement, which meant 10th place in what was then an 11-team league.

Southeast has dropped 21 consecutive OVC games dating back to last season.

Senior forward Jaycen Herring had a strong performance for the Redhawks with 26 points as he hit 10 of 16 shots.

Herring made 5 of 6 3-pointers after entering the night shooting 25.8 percent from beyond the arc. He added four rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Junior forward LaMont Russell had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He added three steals.

Senior guard Kenard Moore scored 16 points, but shot just 29 percent (6 of 21), including 4 of 15 on 3-pointers.

Sophomore forward Jajuan Maxwell pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds. He added eight points and two blocks.

But the Redhawks were no match for the Colonels (15-10, 8-6), who are tied for fifth in the OVC.

Unlike the last time the squads met -- a 74-71 EKU win Jan. 17 in Cape Girardeau -- the Colonels controlled Thursday's contest most of the way.

Southeast got off to a strong start, holding two early nine-point leads of 12-3 and 14-5.

The Colonels hit Southeast with a 21-0 run to go from behind 16-12 to ahead 33-16, and that pretty much was the game.

Southeast got no closer than 13 points the rest of the way. It was 41-24 at the break, and the Colonels' biggest second-half lead was 22 points.

Senior guard Mike Rose, the OVC's third-leading scorer at more than 20 points per game, paced the Colonels with 27 points.

Rose, the nation's top 3-point shooter at nearly 49 percent, hit 5 of 11 from beyond the arc.

EKU shot 52.5 percent and committed only seven turnovers. Southeast shot 43.3 percent and had 16 turnovers. The Colonels outscored the Redhawks 28-9 in points off turnovers.

The Redhawks continued to compete with only seven scholarship players after the recent dismissal from the squad of junior center Calvin Williams.

Southeast returns to action Saturday at OVC leader Morehead State (15-11, 11-3), which has not lost at home in conference play this season.

The Eagles beat Southeast 73-67 on Jan. 15 at the Show Me Center.