Martin, Ward lead SEMO men’s over Southern Indiana 77-66

A deflating conference loss to UT Martin this past weekend had Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball doing some soul-searching going into Thursday night.

Then, defense and clutch shooting from key returners got them a much-needed win.

Rob Martin scored a team-high 15 points, while BJ Ward added 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help SEMO outlast Southern Indiana 77-66 at the Show Me Center.

The Redhawks shined from the foul line after making 25 of 32 attempts (78%). SEMO (9-7, 4-1 OVC) also held Southern Indiana (6-9, 1-4 OVC) to 11-of-26 shooting in the second half, while outrebounding the Screaming Eagles 33 to 30 on the night.

“It feels great,” Martin said of the bounce-back win. “We’ve got a good team with a lot of good players and options. It’s not just one guy and that’s made the difference so far this year.”

With Ward and Martin paving the way, Brendan Terry added 12 points and Braxton Stacker fed off his huge game against UT Martin (career-high 22 points) by dropping 13.

Star senior Teddy Washington Jr. had a “quiet” night by his standards after finishing with eight points.

“If you cut off one option, there’s still so many there,” said Ward, who drained four 3-pointers on the night. “We’re so together off the court that it just flows onto the court. As you can see, the results are there.”

The Redhawks took control with a big 9-0 run to start the game, but Southern Indiana refused to let up. While Ward found his groove and finished the first half 3 of 6 from long range to stake the Redhawks to a 37-31 halftime lead, Damon Harrison and Step Olowoniyi, who finished with a combined 23 points for USI, made just enough shots to keep the Screaming Eagles close.

It looked like that might change when SEMO charged to a 63-55 lead with five minutes remaining in the second half. After Southern Indiana crept back, Washington Jr. drained a 3-pointer and Terry hit a well-timed second chance layup to turn a four-point advantage into a 68-59 lead with 1:33 left.

Ward put the game to sleep with a game-clinching jumper with 55 seconds remaining. SEMO put up 14 points in the final 2 1/2 minutes as the Redhawks went on cruise control to improve to 4-1 in the conference.

“Making adjustments after the first half were big,” Martin said. “Them driving in the middle and not really kicking out and standing in the gap. Communicating more and playing hard too.”

Big Picture

Getting Ward’s sharp long-range shooting back, plus Martin’s brilliance, was key for the versatile Redhawk lineup on Thursday. SEMO had four players reach double-digits and six score at least seven points.

The Redhawks improved to 7-1 at the Show Me Center this season, outscoring their opponents 672-481 in that span. Head coach Brad Korn’s team has also won six of its last seven and continues its three-game homestand this weekend.

“We just take it one game at a time,” Martin said. “I feel like we can go deep in March out in Evansville. It’s not going to be easy, but as long as we stay together and play our game we’ll be good.”

What’s next?

SEMO returns to its home court this Saturday, Jan. 11, for a massive conference showdown against Morehead State (9-7, 4-1) at 3:45 p.m. Both teams currently sit atop the OVC standings.