Preseason Favorite SEMO Pulls Away For Win Over Gamecocks

Thursday, February 20

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

7 p.m.

Jacksonville State University

10-19, 4-10OVC

Southeast Missouri

14-13, 5-8OVC

Team	1	2	F
Jacksonville State	38	32	70
Southeast Missouri	48	39	87

2/20/2014 9:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Southeast Missouri basketball team lived up to its expectations on Thursday night.

The Redhawks (14-13, 5-8 Ohio Valley Conference) showed why the OVC's coaches picked them to win the league's West Division and Tyler Stone showed why he was chosen as the league's Preseason Player of the Year in a 87-70 win over Jacksonville State in a key conference game for both teams.

SEMO broke open a toe-to-toe battle late in the first half, when a 16-4 run to close the first half, mostly keyed by Stone's play inside, gave the Redhawks a double-digit lead over the Gamecocks (10-19, 4-10 OVC) they wouldn't relinquish. Stone scored 28 on an 11-for-17 shooting night and led a talented SEMO front court that outscored JSU 58-16 in the paint.

Three Gamecocks scored in double figures, led by junior Darion Rackley's career-high-tying 27 points. The St, Louis, Mo., native put 27 in the book for the third time in his career, thanks to a 4-for-9 effort from behind the arc and an 11-for-14 night at the free throw line. Junior Avery Moore used three 3-pointers to score 13 points, while junior D.J. Felder added 12.

Freshman Joe Kuligoski didn't score in double figures but had the best night of his young JSU career. The native of Orland Park, Ill., entered the night without a rebound in his career but led JSU with eight. He also scored seven points, four more than his previous career high. Senior Brian Williams dished five assists to give him 365 in his career, one away from Scott Watson in eighth place on the school's all-time list.

Stone got help from his teammates in the post. Jarekious Bradley scored 15, while Nino Johnson and Paul McRoberts each added 14 points for the Redhawks. Johnson had a double-double with 10 boards. Lucas Nutt had eight assists and seven boards.

Both teams were hot to start the game and went at each other for much of the first half. SEMO led 5-3 early before the Gamecocks pulled ahead on three early D.J. Felder buckets. JSU led most of the first half, fighting off seven ties before the Redhawks grabbed the lead with a 16-4 run that spanned the final 4:46 of the half and gave them a 48-38 lead at the half.

Rackley had 15 in the first half, while Felder pitched in 12 on a 5-for-5 half from the floor. Joe Kuligoski, who entered the game looking for his first career rebound, led all players with six first-half boards.

The Redhawks did their damage around the basket, shooting almost 64 percent from the floor, mostly because the bulk of their shots came at close range. They scored 32 points in the paint and had four players with at least nine in the first 20 minutes.

The Redhawks kept it going to start the second half, scoring the first six points and grabbing a 59-40 lead after stretching their run to 27-6 before an Avery Moore 3-pointer fell from the left corner.

The Gamecocks pulled to within 13 twice down the stretch but the Redhawks wouldn't let it get any closer.

JSU will wrap up its 2013-14 road schedule on Saturday with a 7 p.m. game at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tenn. The game will be broadcast live on the Gamecock Sports Network.