Washington Jr. shines as Southeast Missouri State defeats Tennessee Tech

Teddy Washington Jr. scored 21 points to lead Southeast Missouri State past Tennessee Tech 83-69 on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Show Me Center.

Washington, 8 of 19 from the field with all four of SEMO's free throws, scored over 20 points for the first time since tying a career-high 28 against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 19.

"The thing I love about Teddy is just the ultimate competitor," SEMO head coach Brad Korn said. "He's a warrior. He's a dog. He just wants to compete and play."

Rob Martin scored 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting with seven assists. Brendan Terry went 7 of 9 from the field to finish with 15 points. Braxton Stacker added 14 and BJ Ward had 10 points.

Jaylon Johnson led the Golden Eagles with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3 of 5 from beyond the 3-point line. Grant Slatten scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and David Craig was held without a basket. The 7-foot-2 center was on the court for only seven minutes, after coming off a game last Thursday when he played 16 minutes and grabbed 11 rebounds against Little Rock.

"Actually, one of our assistants, DJ Byrd, coached him at Mercer in his freshman year. So we were pretty familiar with him. I thought our guys did a great job," Korn said. "We never let him become a factor."

The Eagles opened the game on an 8-2 run highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers by Kyle Layton and Matthew Sells.

A jump shot by Martin broke the run with 15:30 remaining in the first half and sparked an 11-0 surge as SEMO took a 13-9 lead with 11:30 left.

After the Eagles cut the deficit to a point, the Redhawks made three 3-pointers to power an 11-2 run and extend their lead to 29-17 with 5:14 left in the first half.

Despite shooting 5 of 14 from past the 3-point line, the 3-ball powered SEMO’s runs and led to a 31-21 halftime lead. The Redhawks built up a double-digit lead in the first half without the need to go to the free-throw line.

"I didn't think our motors were running high enough," Korn said. "I thought we were OK. We were kind of in third gear, and I wanted to go to fifth gear."

A 3-pointer from Stacker pushed SEMO’s lead to 58-36 with 12:22 left in the game.

"I thought the start of the second half, we came out in fourth gear, then went to fifth gear pretty quick," Korn said. "So I give our guys credit for understanding that."

The Eagles tried to rally at the tail end of the second half with a 10-0 run sparked by Slatten’s layup and dunk. However, the Redhawks continued to maintain their 20-point lead.

The Redhawks' last basket of the game came from Terry sinking his only 3-point attempt not just of the season, but as an NCAA basketball player. Martin, who was credited for the assist, said Terry has long been practicing his 3-point shooting and it was just a matter of time before he finally pulled the trigger.

"He was like, 'Trust me, trust me'," Martin said. "I end up throwing it to him. He knocked it down. Man, he's a great player. He works hard and I'm proud of him. He finally got his first 3-pointer."

SEMO has won seven straight games for the first time since 2004-05, which also came against Ohio Valley Conference opponents. The next win will give the Redhawks their longest winning streak as a Division I program, which started in 1991.

SEMO will host Western Illinois on Thursday and Lindenwood on Saturday to close out the final homestand of the season.

"With four games left, every game is the next biggest game," Korn said. "Every game has equal value in the win-loss column at this point."