Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team dumps SIU Edwardsville

Marland Smith had a brilliant performance and his teammates gave him plenty of help.

The result was an impressive road win for the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball squad, which pulled away late to beat Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 85-72 on Saturday.

Southeast improved to 14-11 overall and 9-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Redhawks, who have clinched a winning OVC record, remained third in the 11-team league. They continue to trail second-place Tennessee State by just one-half game. The top two finishers earn byes into the semifinals of the conference tournament.

"It's hard to win on the road. We're very happy to get out of here with a win," Southeast coach Dickey Nutt said. "We didn't play great, but we played good. And we clinched a winning season in conference. That's important to us, but we have higher goals."

Nutt said he was wary of the ninth-place Cougars (7-15, 5-8), first-year OVC members who were 4-3 in conference home games.

"They're a very dangerous team, especially at home. They've got some quality wins," said Nutt, whose squad beat the Cougars 85-68 on Jan. 12 in Cape Girardeau. "I was nervous all day. These are the games that worry you. But if you want to be a contender, these are the games you have to win."

Smith, a junior guard who scored his 1,000th career point in Southeast's previous game, had a dazzling performance Saturday.

He tied his career high with 30 points and also grabbed nine rebounds. He hit 8 of 12 field-goal attempts, including 4 of 8 3-pointers, and made 10 of 12 free throws.

"Marland was outstanding," Nutt said. "He shot the ball well, but he just had a great all-around game."

Sophomore forward Tyler Stone had 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He hit 10 of 18 field goals and helped Southeast outscore SIUE 42-18 in the paint.

"Tyler played really big," Nutt said.

Junior guard Nick Niemczyk, who was playing his second game after missing the previous five contests with a concussion, scored 11 points and tied senior point guard Marcus Brister with a game-high five assists. Niemczyk made 3 of 7 3-pointers.

"It's great to have Nick back," Nutt said.

Southeast got strong play off the bench from several people, including sophomore forward Michael Porter. He had a game-high three steals along with four points and two assists.

Southeast, which leads the OVC in both field-goal percentage and field-goal percentage defense in conference play, was strong in both areas Saturday.

The Redhawks shot 53.4 percent, including 62.1 percent in the second half. They held the Cougars to 40 percent. Southeast had just eight turnovers, and only one in the final period.

"In the second half, we executed very well," Nutt said. "I thought we guarded them well. They hit some tough shots."

The game was much closer than the final score. There were eight lead changes and five ties. Southeast trailed 17-9 early but grabbed a 38-33 halftime advantage.

SIUE pulled into a 40-40 tie early in the second half. Brister's basket with just more than 17 minutes remaining put the Redhawks up for good at 42-40.

Southeast built a 63-53 lead midway through the period and appeared ready to break open the game.

The Cougars battled back and got within 63-60 before the Redhawks finally pulled away for good.

"I thought we were too loose on this trip, and I thought it showed in the first half," Nutt said. "But it was really a quality win. We were able to take care of business."

Southeast returns to action Wednesday when it hosts seventh-ranked Murray State (24-1, 12-1) in its final home game.

The Redhawks lost to the Racers 81-73 on Feb. 2 in Murray, Ky. MSU clinched at least a share of its third straight OVC regular-season title Saturday by beating Austin Peay 82-63.