Redhawks snap 10-game losing skid to Tech

~ Tempers flared at the end of Southeast's 84-74 win Saturday night.

Southeast Missouri State's men's basketball team didn't just end its 10-game losing streak against Tennessee Tech.

The Redhawks totally smashed it, burying the Eagles in the second half Saturday night on their way to an 84-74 romp at the Show Me Center.

And along the way, the enthusiastic antics of Southeast coach Scott Edgar apparently ticked off Tech coach Mike Sutton.

With 6.8 seconds remaining and the Redhawks ahead by the final score, Edgar called a timeout.

Southeast's Brandon Foust tried to get past Tennessee Tech's Charles Moore on Saturday.

Edgar proceeded to walk on to the court toward the section of stands containing members of Southeast's 1985-86 basketball team, which the previous night had been inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Edgar pointed to that squad, which also had been introduced at halftime Saturday night, in an obvious salute to all it had accomplished, and also to show his appreciation for its support at the game.

Sutton and Edgar exchanged words following the contest, and after a few moments, Southeast senior center Mike Rembert walked toward his coach and gently nudged him back toward the Redhawks' bench.

"I had decided before the game that, if we were ahead and I had time, I was going to do that," Edgar said. "He [Sutton] was just upset."

Said Rembert: "It was nothing, just a high-spirited game. Both teams fought to win."

Just seconds earlier, tempers had flamed over when Southeast sophomore point guard Roderick Pearson and Tech guard Frank Davis were assessed technical fouls. Edgar also came on to the court that time to try and calm his players down.

"It was just emotions carrying over," Pearson said. "It was a high-spirited game."

And one that obviously meant a lot for the Redhawks to win as they improved to 2-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, which is when Southeast made its lone NCAA Division I tournament appearance.

Southeast, 6-4 overall, had not beaten Tech since the 2002-03 season. The Redhawks lost three times to the Eagles last season, and Tech has been one of the OVC's premier squads for much of the past decade.

"It was a real intense game," Pearson said. "We just had on our minds from last year, when they beat us three times. We didn't want it to continue."

Southeast trailed just once all night, at 10-8 in the early going, and led 39-35 at halftime.

The Redhawks went on a 16-4 run at the outset of the second half to go ahead 55-39 and pretty much rolled the rest of the way.

Tech never got closer than nine points after that, and Southeast led by 18 points with under two minutes remaining.

"It was a great win. We hadn't beaten them in 10 games," Edgar said. "It was just all-out play. ... We had to play well because Tennessee Tech came in ready to play."

Junior wing Jaycen Herring scored 17 points to lead the Redhawks.

Pearson had 16 points, while sophomore forward Calvin Williams had his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Rembert added a season-high 12 points.

Southeast shot 56.3 percent in the second half, while holding Tech (3-7, 1-2) to 36.8 percent for the game.

The Redhawks also dominated the boards against the OVC's top rebounding team, with a 51-35 advantage on the glass.