Tennessee Tech cools streaking Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team faced an angry Tennessee Tech squad Saturday.

Throw in the fact Southeast was shorthanded, and it didn't add up to a good night for the visiting Redhawks.

The Eagles, who were picked second in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, bounced back from Thursday's upset home loss to Jacksonville State by beating Southeast 77-62.

Tech improved to 12-8 overall and 4-3 in OVC play while dropping Southeast to 10-9 and 5-2. The Redhawks remained second in the 11-team conference.

The Redhawks, who are off to the program's best OVC start since the 1999-2000 NCAA tournament squad began league play 9-1, lost for just the second time in their last eight games.

"I was disappointed. I thought we're better than we played tonight," Southeast coach Dickey Nutt said. "But I give them credit. They've got a very talented team and it was their night tonight."

Southeast played without starting junior guard Nick Niemczyk, its fourth-leading scorer and second-best 3-point shooter.

Niemczyk missed the contest due to a concussion suffered during a practice late in the week.

"We missed Nick, no question," Nutt said. "It's the first adversity we've faced since December, and we didn't handle it very well."

The Redhawks were hit with a technical foul before the game even started for dunking during warmups.

Junior guard Jud Dillard hit 1 of 2 free throws on the technical, and Tech never gave up the lead.

Tech built a quick 10-3 advantage and was up 16-7 six minutes into the contest.

"We have to be better to start the game," Nutt said.

Southeast cut the deficit to 30-29 with less than four minutes left in the half, but Tech scored the final seven points to lead 37-29 at the break.

The Redhawks pulled within 43-40 before the Eagles began to pull away.

Tech opened up the night's first double-digit lead at 50-40 eight minutes into the second half and had control the rest of the way. Southeast got no closer than eight points.

Senior guard Marcus Brister led Southeast offensively with 15 points. He added six assists and three steals.

Sophomore forward Tyler Stone scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Junior guard Marland Smith added 14 points.

Tech senior wing Kevin Murphy, the OVC's preseason player of the year and the conference's top scorer at nearly 20 points per game, poured in 26 points.

Dillard, the OVC's No. 3 scorer at more than 18 points per contest, added 15 points.

"They really have a go-to guy in Murphy," Nutt said.

Southeast had its string of shooting better than 50 percent from the field in all six OVC games stopped.

The Redhawks still hit a solid 48.2 percent but were just 3 of 15 on 3-pointers (20 percent). They were shooting a sizzling 46 percent from beyond the arc in conference play.

Southeast, which has struggled from the free-throw line all season, made just 5 of 13 for a dismal 38.5 percent.

"Free throws have been a problem all year long for us," Nutt said.

Tech shot 56.7 percent from the floor and outrebounded Southeast 33-25.

"They really had an exceptional night shooting the basketball," Nutt said. "We just didn't get stops when we needed them."

Southeast returns to action Thursday when it hosts preseason OVC favorite Austin Peay in a 7 p.m. tipoff.

"We just have to bounce back against another very tough opponent," Nutt said.