SOUTHEAST SOARS ABOVE EAGLES, RIGHT INTO FIRST

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Talk about a good night.

For Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball team, what happened Thursday simply doesn't get any better.

First, the Indians went out and romped past host Morehead State 74-58 to secure their second consecutive 20-win season.

Then, about an hour after the Indians had finished dismantling the Eagles, they got the sweet news that Murray State had lost to Middle Tennessee.

As word of the Racers' upset loss swept around the floor at Southeast's motel, Indian players took turns yelling, one louder than the other.

"This is so good to hear," said forward Roderick Johnson. "This is the break we needed."

Said Southeast coach Gary Garner, sporting a huge grin, "How about them (Middle Tennessee) Raiders."

What Thursday's combination did is put Southeast and Murray State in a first-place Ohio Valley Conference tie, with one game remaining. Both squads are 13-4 in league play.

Southeast is now 20-6 overall heading into Saturday's regular-season finale at Eastern Kentucky as the Indians are on the verge of topping last year's best-ever Division I record of 20-9.

The Indians also became the first OVC team other than Murray State to post consecutive 20-win seasons since Middle Tennessee accomplished the feat in 1984-85.

"To win 20 games two years in a row is a tremendous accomplishment, something the players can be really proud of," said Garner. "Kind of like a pitcher in baseball, winning 20 games is one of the benchmarks in college basketball.

"And to be the first OVC team to win 20 games two years in a row in about 15 years is also a great accomplishment. It shows how far our program has come."

But, as much as the Indians were thrilled by recording another 20-victory season, they were more excited by the help Middle Tennessee had given them.

On paper at least, the Indians now have the upper hand on Murray State as they shoot for their first-ever OVC championship. While Southeast finishes up Saturday afternoon with the league's last-place squad, the Racers visit third-place Tennessee Tech Saturday night.

"We've just got to take care of our business Saturday afternoon to get at least a share of the title, then we'll worry about what Murray does later," Garner said.

The Indians took care of business in a big way Thursday against a Morehead squad that needed a win to stay alive in the chase for an OVC Tournament berth.

By losing, the Eagles (9-17 overall, 4-13 OVC) assured themselves of a ninth-place finish in the 10-team league. Only the top eight squads qualify for the conference's postseason tourney that begins Tuesday.

Garner feared a spirited effort by a Morehead squad with its back to the wall. Instead, the Indians jumped on the Eagles from the outset, building a 19-point halftime lead and basically never letting the hosts up for air as Morehead suffered its 10th loss in the last 11 games.

"When you're playing the ninth-place team in the league, getting on them early is really important," said Garner. "We didn't want to let them hang around."

Emmanuel McCuthison came off the bench to lead a balanced Southeast scoring attack with 15 points. He hit three of four shots from 3-point range.

Michael Stokes hit all four of his 3-point attempts and finished with 14 points, 11 coming in the first half. Johnson had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Antonio Short scored 12 points, 10 coming in the first half.

Morehead entered the game as the OVC's top 3-point shooting team, but the Indians turned the tables on the Eagles with a sizzling first half that put the contest out of reach early.

Southeast hit nine of 12 shots from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes, a red-hot 75 percent. And the bombs came from a variety of sources. Stokes was 3-for-3, Short and Amory Sanders both 2-for-3, Mike Branson 1-for-2 and McCuthison 1-for-1.

Overall in the first half, Southeast hit 16 of 23 shots from the field for 69.6 percent.

Conversely, the Eagles went 3-for-10 (30 percent) from 3-point range in the first half and they shot 8-for-27 (29.6 percent) overall from the floor.

"We were hot. They went to a zone and we really hit some shots," said Garner. "And we really defended well."

The Eagles got the game's first basket, but that was their only lead of the night. Southeast scored the next 12 points and the Indians were well on their way.

Morehead was still hanging relatively close at 31-21 late in the first half, but that's when the Indians pretty much buried the Eagles with their long-range marksmanship.

Sanders hit consecutive 3-pointers to put Southeast ahead 37-21. After Morehead pulled to within 37-24, McCuthison drained a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left and then Stokes -- as he has done so many times this season -- buried a long trey at the buzzer for a 43-24 halftime bulge.

The second half was pretty much a formality. Southeast's shooting percentages dropped a bit, but it hardly mattered as the Indians were never threatened. They led by as many as 25 points and the Eagles never got closer than 14, that coming late after Garner had sent in his deep reserves.