Southeast men roll past UTM

MARTIN, Tenn. -- The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team ran Tennessee-Martin right out of the building in the first half.

UTM made a solid second-half charge but it wasn't nearly enough to prevent the Redhawks from picking up their first Ohio Valley Conference road victory of the season.

Southeast built a 20-point halftime lead, increased the advantage to 27 points early in the second half and rolled 96-74 Saturday night as they pushed their winning streak to three.

"We needed our first road win in conference. It's big," junior point guard Lucas Nutt said. "We had a really good week of practice and I think that carried over."

The Redhawks (14-13, 6-7), who began a stretch that has them playing their final four conference games on the road, took over sole possession of second place in the OVC West Division.

Southeast is sixth in the 12-team league among squads eligible for the eight-team conference tournament as the Redhawks closed in on clinching a tourney berth.

"This was a great team win. Tennessee-Martin has beaten some good teams here," Southeast coach Dickey Nutt said. "The entire team played with great heart. They played together."

UTM (7-18, 4-9), which lost at Southeast 65-60 on Dec. 29 after leading much of the way, never led Saturday as the Redhawks came out strong offensively and defensively.

"We came out and jumped on them from the start," senior guard Marland Smith said. "When we do that we can play with the best."

Smith, who recently broke Southeast's career 3-point field-goal record and tied the school mark with nine 3-pointers in his most recent outing, hit his first three shots from beyond the arc in the game's opening four minutes.

"I'm just real focused right now, playing with a lot of confidence," Smith said.

Southeast built a 16-6 lead less than six minutes into the contest.

"Our defense and intensity have really picked up the last few games," senior guard Nick Niemczyk said.

UTM got within 18-17 and trailed 22-19 when Southeast scored 15 straight points to go ahead 37-19.

It was 50-30 at the break, marking the most first-half points the Redhawks have scored this season as they wound up tying their high point total of the year.

"We jumped on them from the start. We made it uncomfortable for them," Dickey Nutt said.

The Redhawks hit 10 of 16 first-half 3-pointers, led by Smith with 5 of 6 and Nutt with 3 of 5.

UTM battled hard in the second half after falling behind 59-32. The Skyhawks cut the deficit to 74-63 with just under eight minutes left but got no closer.

"We knew they'd make their run but it was too big a cushion. We weren't worried," Lucas Nutt said.

Smith led Southeast with 22 points after scoring 29 in his most recent outing. He made 8 of 11 field goals, including 5 of 7 3-pointers, while adding five rebounds and four assists.

Niemczyk, who missed the previous two games with an ankle injury, scored a season-high 21 points, one off his career high. He hit 6 of 7 field goals, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.

"The ankle doesn't feel very well but I got a couple of days off. I was well rested and that helped me a lot," Niemczyk said.

Nutt scored a season-high 20 points to go along with seven assists. He made 5 of 7 field goals, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc.

Sophomore forward Nino Johnson just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. He blocked five shots, giving him 72 on the year and putting him four away from breaking the single-season school record.

Senior guard Corey Wilford and junior guard A.J. Jones added nine points apiece.

"I thought everybody played well," Dickey Nutt said. "Marland had an incredible night shooting the basketball. Lucas had a great game. Welcome back Nick. Nino was big."

Southeast shot 56.4 percent, its highest figure against a Division I opponent this season. The Redhawks made their second-most 3-pointers of the year, 12 (in 22 attempts for 54.5 percent). UTM shot 37 percent from the field.

"It's fun to watch right now. That was a happy locker room," Dickey Nutt said.

The Redhawks rolled despite top scorer Tyler Stone having a season-low two points. The junior forward played only 16 minutes before fouling out.

Southeast had things so much under control in the late going that seldom-used walk-on freshman guard Matt Floyd scored his first career points on a layup in the final seconds.

"Our guys loved that. He works hard," Dickey Nutt said.

Southeast visits Jacksonville State Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.