Washington Jr.’s game-winning jumper helps Redhawks MBB outlast Tennessee State 89-87 in overtime classic

The consistent roar of the crowd caught the attention of Teddy Washington Jr.

It was then that he realized how well him and his Southeast Missouri State teammates were playing late in the game.

Washington Jr. hit a game-winning jumper with two seconds remaining in overtime to seal SEMO’s 89-87 win over Tennessee State on Saturday evening at the Show Me Center.

“I’m glad I made the shot, but really it just goes to show what type of team we got,” said Washington Jr., who finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and three steals in the signature win. “We were down big. We made a couple big plays and just for my guys to trust me in that moment meant a lot. So, I know I had to rise up and knock the shot down.”

After trailing 83-77 early in overtime, the Redhawks answered behind Washington Jr.’s 3-pointer with 1:18 left to make it 87-86. On the ensuing SEMO possession, Braxton Stacker drew a shooting foul and hit one of two free throws to tie it.

Then it was Washington Jr.'s time to shine.

After hauling in a quick pass from Stacker at the top of the key, the fifth-year senior drained a game-winning 3-point jumper with two ticks of the clock left to seal the win.

“It was kind of drawn up for me,” Washington Jr. said. “I told my teammates, ‘if I touch the ball, I'm gaming this.’ And that's what I did."

Rob Martin had 22 points and fellow junior Brendan Terry dropped 20 for SEMO (13-10, 8-4 Ohio Valley Conference), which has now won three straight, including 10 of its last 14, to remain a prime contender for an OVC regular-season title.

Troy Cole Jr. provided a nice boost too, finishing with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting in an encouraging performance for his junior campaign.

“Just a fantastic, gritty, tough come-from-behind win,” head coach Brad Korn said. “Not just once, but twice — in regulation and overtime. Just really proud of our guys for not giving in when things did not go well. Was a choppy game and we found our way. Executed what we needed the most on defense and offensively had that huge shot by Teddy. Great floor game by Rob and Brendan Terry did a great job on the interior.”

Aaron Nkrumah scored a game-high 28 for Tennessee State (10-13, 6-6), which had won four in a row entering Saturday.

These teams met one month earlier in Nashville, Tennessee, with the Redhawks pulling out a two-point victory in which seven different SEMO players scored seven points or more.

The rematch looked like a replica of the first with neither team leading by more than four points through the entire first half. The Redhawks took a halftime advantage when Martin scored his ninth point on a 3-point jumper with one second remaining to take a 32-31 lead.

The Tigers rallied back and took a 62-53 lead with less than nine minutes to go off a Justus Jackson 3-pointer and a smooth Antoine Lyric III driving layup. The Redhawks responded after that, however, and gradually cut the deficit to two with just less than three minutes left. Stacker drained a stepback 3 from the top of the key to make it 73-71 before a media timeout. The junior guard scored nine points and was 6-of-8 on free throws.

Then, tied at 75-75 with 12.4 seconds remaining, Martin nailed a stepback jumper to pull the Redhawks in front 77-75, forcing a Tennessee State timeout and setting off the Show Me Center crowd.

“I feel like it was just me getting to my spot,” Martin said. “The play broke down. I think Terry was supposed to come off a little Stacker screen and get the catch, but they were denying him. So, me just playing basketball and knowing how to get to my spots, I feel like I just set my defender up. See, to me, every time I shoot the ball at mid-range, I think it's a knock down.”

The Tigers did not run out of magic, though, as Nkrumah drained a game-tying jumper with three seconds to go to send the game to overtime.

Tennessee State carried that momentum into the extra period after racing out to a 6-0 run and holding SEMO scoreless through the opening two minutes. The Redhawks stayed within striking distance, however, and Washington Jr.’s game-winning dagger sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

SEMO shot 53% and outrebounded the Tigers 27-26.

“It’s speaks to character and recruiting if I’m being honest,” Korn said of his team’s perseverance. “Troy Cole played a great game today. TJ Biel has been carrying us the last couple games. Rob was fantastic. BJ had a great game on Thursday. So, it's kind of been each guy taking a turn. It speaks of depth. It’s the way that these guys approach practice, so when we get in these situations in the game we don't panic.”

Washington Jr.’s path to SEMO:

While he hasn't had many breakout performances this month, Washington Jr. has arguably made one of best first impressions of any newcomer in the OVC thus far. He was one of five transfers to join SEMO this past offseason and has been an effective plug-and-play starter following a one-year stint at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2023-24.

In fact, the Redhawks were one of the few Division I schools to offer the talented guard, and the transition has proven to be seamless for him.

“I was dealing with a lot of injuries down there just due to off-the-court stuff and like system-wise and just practicing,” Washington Jr. said in November. “It was just wear and tear. So, just really this year, I was coming in like, ‘I need to stay healthy.’ I fell in love with Coach Korn the minute I met him and I feel like it was home. So, it was a pretty easy decision.”

And from a location standpoint, it was not a huge adjustment for Washington Jr., who grew up just 100 miles south in Blytheville, Arkansas.

“I love fans here,” he said. “The support is crazy, but I'm from right down the road, so the scenery is kind of the same.”

This season has been a blessing for Washington Jr., who is continuing to unlock his full potential as a college baller while also being one of the leaders and veterans for the Redhawks. Take the fifth-year senior out of the equation, and SEMO only has two players averaging double figures.

SEMO has other highly capable shooters in Martin, Terry, Ward and Stacker, but there's just something different about when Washington Jr. gets into one of his grooves that makes the team feel almost unstoppable. He entered Saturday averaging 14.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per 32.1 minutes.

Washington Jr.’s game-winning jumper against Tennessee State reaffirmed SEMO’s status as a legitimate conference title threat. And no, a shot to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second time since 2023 is certainly not out of the picture, either.

Martin’s milestone:

The junior point guard earned his 200th career assist against the Tigers on Saturday. The assist came when Martin passed to Washington Jr. on a made jumper just three minutes into the ball game.

“I feel like it's not all about scoring,” Martin said. “Me being the point guard and the leader just allows me to get my guys going and find them in their right spots, and then they do the rest. I feel like I work hard and 200 is great, but we got to still go and win the OVC and get to the tournament. So, it's just hard work and all glory to God.”

After tallying five on Saturday, Martin is now 80 assists shy of tying Derek Winans (282) and cracking the top 10 all-time assists list in program history.

Martin “wants to be coached,” Korn said. “He was coached really, really hard in high school by Jayson Tatum’s dad, so he’s been around ball. He knows how to play the game. So, I love that you can coach him.

“The point guard obviously has to be the extension of the head coach and the staff and everything else on the floor, and Rob has really grown into that. He's allowed himself to get pushed into that role as well, so he's really grown every single day with that little 1%.”

What’s next?

SEMO opens a three-game road slate on Thursday, Feb. 6, when the Redhawks take on Morehead State (14-9, 9-3) in a massive conference showdown. Tip off is set for 6:30 p.m.