CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Little Rock had five players finish in double figures as the Trojans and Redhawks staged an offensive showdown Thursday night at the Show Me Center. But it was host Southeast Missouri with the advantage when the dust settled, edging Little Rock in a 99-98 thriller.
The offensive charge was led by a career-high 22 point effort from
CJ White, who went 6-of-13 from the floor, 3-of-4 from three point range and 7-of-7 from the line. White also dished out seven rebounds with six assists to lead the Little Rock offensive charge.
He was joined in the 20-point club by
Isaiah Palermo, who notched a season-high 20 points going 7-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the line with four rebounds. It marks the third game this season Little Rock has had a pair of 20-point scorers in the same game.
Myron Gardner notched his Ohio Valley Conference-best 12th double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting.
DeAntoni Gordon posted a 17-point night with four rebounds and a career-high five assists with
Nigel John finishing with 13 points and four boards.
As a team, Little Rock shot 56.9% from the floor – a season-high – going 4-of-9 from the free throw line and 28-of-36 from the foul line as the Trojans and Redhawks combined to shoot 71 free throws on the night. Little Rock also dominated on the glass, holding a 32-23 edge in rebounding.
But Southeast Missouri was equally as hot from the floor, especially in the second half. The Redhawks shot 52.6% for the game and seemingly couldn't miss in the second half, making 62.5% of their shots, including going 7-of-11 from three point range over the final 20 minutes.
Little Rock gained control in the first half, building a seven-point lead at 15-8 early off a White thee pointer. The long ball then began falling for the Redhawks as Southeast Missouri hit a three on five-straight possessions, flipping the seven-point deficit into a six-point cushion at 28-22 at the midway point of the second half.a
But Little Rock took control over the final nine minutes, using a 26-8 run over seven minutes, including a 12-0 spurt spanning two minutes to reclaim the lead and build a 12-point first half lead at 48-36 with 2:20 remaining. Southeast Missouri trimmed the lead to nine at the break at 50-41 with Palermo getting a dunk at the 1:17 mark for the Trojans' final points of the half.
The Redhawks came out firing early in the second half, using an 8-0 run to immediately cut the Little Rock lead to one at 50-49. The Trojans matched the Redhawks until three-straight free throws at the 13:00 mark put Southeast Missouri in front by one at 59-58.
From there, the two teams combined for five ties and four lead changes over the next three and a half minute with the Trojans extending their lead to four at 70-66 with just over nine minutes to play. But a 10-0 run for Southeast Missouri put the Redhawks on top 76-70 with 7:44 to go, giving SEMO a lead it would never relinquish.
Little Rock was able to get to within two on four different occasions over the final seven minutes, including at 97-95 with eight seconds to play. But the Redhawks hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to 99-95 and
Jordan Jefferson's three with two seconds left was too little too late as Little Rock dropped the 99-98 decision.
Both teams were efficient in the second half, shooting over 50% with the Redhawks knocking down 62.5% of their shots. The teams ended the game on a high note with the Trojans hitting 7-of-8 down the stretch with the Redhawks making 5 of their last 7.
Southeast Missouri was paced by a 37-point performance by Phillip Russell, who was 9-of-16 from the floor and 15-of-18 from the free throw line with 10 assists. That is the most against Little Rock this season and the highest since UT Arlington's David Azore's 37-point performance on January 22, 2022.
Little Rock now returns home for a key OVC stretch, playing four of the next five at the Jack Stephens Center. That stretch begins with the first-ever meeting with SIU Edwardsville on Saturday, February 4, tipping at 3:30 p.m.
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