Damarion Walkup shines as SEMO men’s basketball dominates in home opener

Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach Brad Korn said leading up to Wednesday’s home opener that starting the season at Bradley and Vanderbilt exposed the Redhawks’ early weaknesses.

The Redhawks took out a week's worth of frustration with a landslide victory over NAIA member Crowley’s Ridge 93-38 on Nov. 13 at the Show Me Center.

“I see an improvement in communication on the floor, off the court,” SEMO guard Damarion Walkup said. “We know that even down the road, we’re going to be a better team.”

Walkup didn’t start the game, but finished with a game-high 23 points off the bench for the Redhawks.

“Hats off to my teammates for being aggressive and getting me the ball when I’m open,” Walkup said.

Walkup shot 8 of 14 from the field and 4 for 10 from the 3-point line. Overall, the Redhawks shot 11 of 35 from beyond the arc.

“We were just taking what the defense would give us,” Walkup said. “We shoot a lot 3s in practice so it helps.”

A 4-3 SEMO lead in the first two minutes was as close as it got. The Redhawks quickly turned it into a rout with a 22-2 run, beginning with a 3-point basket by Trey Cole Jr., to extend their lead to 26-5 with 9:51 remaining in the first half.

The run was highlighted by a six-point burst by B.J. Ward, who finished the game with 11 points for his third consecutive double-digit performance of the season, and 10 rebounds for a double-double.

After Pioneers’ forward Braxton Cousins broke up the run with a layup, the Redhawks regrouped and started a new run. Teddy Washington Jr. made a jumper with 8:09 remaining in the first half to start a 16-2 run to go up 42-9 with 2:31 remaining. He finished the game with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double.

TJ Biel capped the run with a 3-pointer and scored the Redhawks remaining five points in the first half, including a buzzer-beater to enter halftime with a 47-17 lead. Biel scored 10 points off the bench for the Redhawks in the first half.

The Redhawks picked up where they left off with a 20-6 run, started by a pair of 3-pointers from Ward and Washington Jr., to start the second half with a 67-24 lead. SEMO finished the game with a 20-8 run through the final nine minutes. Walkup scored eight points during that span, including a 3-pointer in the final minutes.

SEMO returns to the Show Me Center on Sunday, Nov. 17, to take on Chattanooga.