Two last-second free throws completes 13-point comeback for SEMO

Southeast Missouri State' DQ Nicholas shoots a three-pointer against SIU-Edwardsville on Thursday at the Show Me Center.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks came back from a double-digit deficit to defeat the Cougars of SIU-Edwardsville 64-62 on Thursday at the Show Me Center.

The Redhawks didn’t lead until the final seconds of the game.

DQ Nicholas made his only three-point basket of the night to tie the game 62-62 with 16 seconds left.

After a turnover by Jordan Love, Eric Reed Jr. saw light at the end of the tunnel. Dashing towards the basket, a simple layup would deliver the Redhawks their fifth win of the season.

He ended up getting fouled with literally a half of a second remaining of the game. The junior guard has shot a total of 28 free throws so far in his only Division I season but these two have been by far the most important.

If he makes just one, the Redhawks would win. If he misses both, then the game goes into overtime and SEMO is 1-3 in overtime.

Making the first free throw didn’t do much to calm the mind of head coach Brad Korn.

“After making the first one, I was thinking about calling a timeout, telling him to miss the second just because we were at .5 (seconds),” Korn said. “You don’t want to give them a chance to set a play and get a crazy shot in.

“But then again if you tell him to miss it and he somehow still makes it, now what happens? Do they freak out and do something crazy? So I decided to just play it regularly.”

The Cougars were in control throughout the game up until the end. They jumped out to a 7-0 run to start the game. Sidney Wilson scored 10 of the Cougars 11 points in the first five minutes of the game. He finished with a career-high 23 points.

The Cougars (5-6, 3-2) were up as much as 13 points after the first five minutes of the second half.

After the Cougars led 50-39 after a jumper by Cam Williams, the Redhawks closed the gap to 50-49 with 8:20 left after a 10-0 run powered by three-pointers by Jordan Love and Dylan Branson.

With the spring semester beginning this week at SEMO, the student band was back in the Show Me Center. Even with the limited capacity, there were enough student fans to make it feel like an actual home game.

With every layup and free throw, the student section erupted with applause, a sound that has not been heard often this season.

“There was a little more energy there for sure,” Korn said. “Unfortunately we didn’t give them a whole lot to cheer for until the very end. We didn’t lead until .5 in the game.

“I’ve said it all along, for our university and our administration to do what they’ve done and give us those environments because we’ve been in some stale, stale places, our fans to come out even though it’s limited, it just goes to show that they care and they want us to do well.”

Nana Akenten led the Redhawks with 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting with all three baskets coming from the top of the key. Nolan Taylor and Reed each finished with nine points. Branson finished with eight points on two three-pointers.

The Redhawks shot 20-of-55 including 7-of-21 from the three-point line. Despite SIUE making four more shots than SEMO, three more threes and seven more free throws proved to be the difference for the Redhawks.

“If you take the right shots, I’ll live with the result,” Korn said.

SEMO’s five-game homestand continues on Saturday, as the Eastern Illinois Panthers come to town. Tip-off is at 5 p.m.