Say it ain't 0-18

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team failed to end the nation's longest active losing streak in its final game of the season.

Southeast wrapped up the 2008-09 campaign with Saturday night's 88-78 loss to Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn.

The Redhawks (3-27, 0-18) dropped their final 19 games of the season and became just the seventh squad in the 61-year history of OVC men's basketball to finish a season without a conference victory.

"It's the first time for me to go through something like this, the first time for the young men," Southeast acting coach Zac Roman said. "Like I told them, this season has bound all of us for the rest of our lives. Nothing like this has ever happened to Southeast basketball before.

"But I couldn't be more proud of a group of guys for hanging in there and battling night in and night out. There are a lot of guys on teams who are still playing and don't want to be. These guys didn't want it to end. It says a lot about their character and the fight in them."

Two-time defending OVC regular-season champion Austin Peay (17-12, 13-5) finished tied for second in the 10-team OVC. The Governors will be the No. 2 seed for the eight-team conference tournament that begins Tuesday.

Senior forward Jaycen Herring led Southeast offensively with a career-high 31 points. He hit 13 of 19 field-goal attempts, including 4 of 5 3-pointers.

Guard Kenard Moore, Southeast's other senior, added 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting. Moore made 5 of 10 from beyond the arc.

"Kenard and Jaycen, you can't ask anything more than what those two did for us this season," Roman said. "The way they ended their college careers, I'm very proud of them."

Senior forward Drake Reed, a two-time first-team all-OVC performer who is certain to make it three straight, had 33 points and 12 rebounds for the Govs.

Reed, who finished the first half with 22 points, hit 14 of 23 field-goal attempts.

Junior guard Wes Channels added 26 points for Austin Peay.

Austin Peay scored the game's first nine points and the Redhawks trailed the entire way, including 51-35 at halftime and by 22 points midway through the second half.

The Redhawks rallied to close the deficit to 80-74 with just under 3 minutes left, but they could get no closer.

"We're down 22 at one point, but we kept fighting and cut it to six," Roman said. "That typifies the heart of these guys."

In addition to lauding Southeast's players for their work ethic and positive attitude, Roman said the same holds true for assistant coaches Rodney Hamilton and Tommy Suitts.

"I've got two very good assistants that I've leaned on all year, and they've leaned on me," Roman said. "I don't know what the future holds for any of us, but they're both very good coaches."

Now Roman, his assistants and players -- along with Southeast fans -- will await the decision of who the program's next coach will be, an announcement that is expected to come soon.

Roman, a first-year assistant under Scott Edgar last season, was named acting coach just before practice started in October after Edgar was placed on administrative leave and later fired.

Roman said he has applied for the permanent coaching position, but admits he is not likely to get the job. He would, however, love to stay with the program as an assistant.

"Cape Girardeau is my home now," he said. "I've met a lot of people and made a lot of good friends.

"I think we've got great leadership with [recently hired director of athletics] John Shafer and he's going to get this thing turned around. I think we can have a great basketball program here. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?"