Nov. 22, 2009

Box Score

By Jeff Honza
Southeast Missouri State Sports Information

DeKALB, Ill. - Southeast Missouri State (1-2) ended a 21-game losing streak with a thrilling 70-64 overtime victory over Northern Illinois (1-3) Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center. Cameron Butler's five free throws in the last 35 seconds of OT sealed the win for the Redhawks.

The streak is over.

Southeast, which won its first game under head coach Dickey Nutt, had the nation's longest losing streak until today. The Redhawks also snapped a streak of 24-consecutive losses on the road, and won for the first time since Dec. 21, 2008 (defeated Western Illinois, 64-63, in Cape Girardeau).

"We were very fortunate to win and personally I just think it was our time tonight," said Nutt. "I'm really proud of our guys. We really played hard in overtime and did a good job sticking with what we were trying to do offensively and defensively. This is a big win for our program."

Southeast led by as many as 12 points early in the second half, but NIU went on a 16-3 run to take a 41-40 lead on Bryan Hall's layup with 10:53 remaining.

The Redhawks led most of the rest of the second half and grabbed a 57-54 edge on Jajuan Maxwell's two free throws with 12 seconds left.

However, Tony Nixon drained a 3-pointer with six seconds to send the game to overtime. The three points were Nixon's only points of the game.

"That was a shot that could absolutely rip your heart out," said Nutt. "We came out strong and played with a lot of heart and toughness in overtime."

True freshman Derek Thompson's 3-pointer in the first minute of the extra period put Southeast ahead, 60-59, and the Redhawks never lost the lead the rest of the way.

Butler then made 5-of-6 free throws, including four in a row, in the last 35 seconds to ice the win.

Thompson, who hails from Detroit, Mich., came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points, including 13 in the first half. Thompson was 6-of-12 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point range and 3-of-4 at the free throw line.

"Derek was instant offense off the bench," commented Nutt. "He gave us a big lift in the first half and made some big shots in the second. He was a big threat on the perimeter."

Butler, who made 6-of-8 free throws, followed with 12 points, while Anthony Allison added 11. Allison has scored double figures in all three of his starts this season.

LaMont Russell pulled down 16 rebounds, as Southeast outrebounded the Huskies, 42-34. Russell was one rebound shy of matching his career-high.

NIU shot 37 percent (21-of-57) from the field and struggled to make just 50 percent (17-of-34) of its free throws. The Huskies shot a mere 24 percent (6-of-25) in the first half alone.

Darion Anderson led all NIU scorers with a double-double 23 points and 13 rebounds. Anderson had 17 second-half points and, at one time, scored 10-straight for the Huskies.

Southeast improved to 2-4 all-time against Mid-American Conference schools. The Redhawks will face their second MAC opponent in three days when they host Eastern Michigan Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., CT, at the Show Me Center.

Notes: G Lucas Nutt played for the first time this season....Nutt, who missed Southeast's first two games due to a sore back, scored two points in nine minutes...Southeast had three players score double figures for the first time this season...Derek Thompson, who entered today's game 0-of-10 from three-point range knocked down 4-of-7 against the Huskies...The Redhawks shot 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from downtown as a team.