Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team sets OVC record for 3-pointers in win

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team earned its first win at Austin Peay since the 1998-99 season with a record-setting performance.

Southeast blitzed Austin Peay from the start Thursday night, building a 65-30 halftime lead and romping 108-81 in Clarksville, Tenn.

The Redhawks set a school and Ohio Valley Conference record by making 20 3-point baskets, tying the NCAA Division I single-game high for this year.

Southeast also scored its most points in an OVC road game since joining the conference and moving up to the Division I level in the 1991-92 season.

The 108 points were the most by the Redhawks in any game since putting up 116 against NAIA Williams Baptist in 2009-10. Southeast broke 100 points for the first time since 2010-11.

"It's great to break records, but more importantly I'm really proud of the way we played," Southeast coach Dickey Nutt said. "We played super unselfish. We really shared the basketball. It was a great win for us."

Southeast improved to 15-15 overall and 7-8 in OVC play by winning for the fourth time in its last six games. The two losses during that stretch came on baskets in the final 10 seconds that broke ties.

"I think we're playing our best basketball of the season right now," Nutt said.

The Redhawks, who entered the night already having clinched a berth in the eight-team OVC tournament for the third straight year, locked up second place in the OVC West Division.

Southeast remained sixth overall in the 12-team league among squads eligible for next week's tournament. With only Saturday's regular-season finale at Murray State remaining, the Redhawks are locked into the sixth seed.

Perennial OVC power Austin Peay (7-23, 3-12) continued one of its worst seasons in decades. The Govs, last in the league, already had been assured of missing the conference tournament for the first time since 1984.

But Nutt was still wary of a squad that only lost to Southeast by two points earlier this season in Cape Girardeau and had suffered numerous close defeats.

"This is a very difficult place to play, it doesn't matter what their record is," Nutt said. "I knew we were playing good, but I thought we were in for a tough battle tonight."

That didn't happen as Southeast broke a string of 14 straight losses at Austin Peay. The Redhawks also beat the Govs twice in the same season for the first time since 1998-99.

Thursday's matchup was never close after Southeast scored the game's first seven points. The Redhawks had a 10-point lead (15-5) barely four minutes in and went up by 20 points (29-9) less than eight minutes in.

"We got into them pretty early defensively, and we shot the ball well," Nutt said. "We were really moving that basketball."

Southeast made its first eight 3-point attempts and finished the first half 13 of 17 from beyond the arc (76.5 percent). The Redhawks shot 73.5 percent from the field overall in the opening 20 minutes (25 of 34) while holding the Govs to 33.3 percent (9 of 27).

"The first 20 minutes of basketball was about the best I've ever been associated with," Nutt said.

Senior guard Corey Wilford scored 20 first-half points as he hit his first six 3-pointers.

Wilford finished with 26 points, one off his career high, while hitting 8 of 12 from beyond the arc. He came within one 3-pointer of tying the school record.

Wilford's career-high eight 3-pointers set a Dunn Center record.

"Corey shot the ball exceptionally well. He has been shooting extremely well," Nutt said.

Senior guard Nick Niemczyk had 16 first-half points on 4 of 5 3-point shooting. He ended up with 19 points while hitting a career-high five 3-pointers in 10 attempts. He also had a team-high four steals and added four assists.

Junior forward Tyler Stone, who did not start after a bout with the flu earlier in the week, had 15 of his 20 points in the opening period. He finished the game perfect from the field at 8 of 8 and made his only 3-point attempt.

Senior guard Marland Smith made 4 of 7 from beyond the arc and scored 14 points to go along with six assists.

Sophomore forward Nino Johnson had his third straight double-double and team-leading 10th of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds. He added two blocks.

Freshman guard Jared White scored a career-high 10 points. He was 2 of 2 from beyond the arc, including the 3-pointer with 1 minute, 51 seconds left that set the OVC record.

Junior point guard Lucas Nutt had nine assists -- all in the first half -- while junior guard A.J. Jones added seven points and five assists.

"I thought everybody who played was fantastic," said Dickey Nutt, whose squad dished out a Dunn Center-record 31 assists. "We're playing with a lot of confidence. We have been the last five or six games."

Southeast finished shooting 66.7 percent from the field (40 of 60) and 60.6 percent from beyond the arc (20 of 33).

Thursday's game marked the fifth straight time that Southeast hit at least 10 3-pointers, including a performance of 15 that fell one short of the previous school record.

Austin Peay finished shooting 45.3 percent, and Southeast outrebounded the Govs 37-24. Austin Peay only had seven offensive rebounds, an area of concern for the Redhawks the past several games.

"I was really happy with our rebounding," Nutt said. "The offensive rebounding was a big change from the last few games."

Southeast's biggest second-half lead was 40 points at 88-48. Austin Peay got no closer than 26 points in the final period, and that was with under three minutes left.

Southeast will end the regular season Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at three-time defending OVC champion Murray State.

The Racers (20-0, 10-5) have clinched the OVC West Division title and the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament, but they are coming off Thursday's stunning 69-68 home loss to Tennessee-Martin.

"It's their senior night, and after losing tonight, we'll really get their best shot," said Nutt, whose squad saw MSU rally from a 12-point second-half deficit to beat Southeast 74-66 on Jan. 5 at the Show Me Center.