By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer

HARRISBURG, Ill. -- Three Rivers trailed by just four at halftime Saturday night but was outrebounded 40-25 and lost 75-59 to Southeastern Illinois.

Marquise Carter was the high scorer for the Raiders (2-2) with 14 points while Troy Long led the Falcons with 21 and Monie Hudson had 14. This is the first time the Raiders have been 2-2 since the 2006 season.

"We struggled offensively and got killed on the boards," Three Rivers assistant coach Brian Bess said.

After having a 29-25 lead at the break, the Falcons came out on fire in the second half. After the Raiders cut the lead to three, Austin Hill hit back-to-back baskets, the second coming at the 17:46 mark, to give the Falcons a 37-30 lead. Monie Hudson nailed a 3-pointer at the 16:51 mark to extend the Falcons lead to 10 less than a minute later.

Southeastern hit 50 percent of its 3-point attempts.

"They can really shoot," Bess said. "We knew they had Long, Hudson and Hill, those three could shoot. We knew that was going to be a challenge."

The Falcons kept their lead at 10 for the remainder of the half and pulled away at the end, setting the final margin largely with free throws, getting five with less than 2 minutes remaining.

The Raiders had a 15-14 lead with just 8:07 remaining in the first half but the Falcons scored six straight to take a 20-15 lead, helping them enter the break with a 4-point edge.

The Raiders started the game going ahead 6-2. After a Falcon hoop, Josh Terry scored a basket and was fouled and made the free throw to make it 3-2. Adam Carpenter made it 6-2 on the next Raiders possession with a 3-pointer from the top at the 17:26 mark before the Falcons tied the game with a 3-pointer after an offensive rebound just minutes later.

"They were bigger and stronger and looked like the only people in there jumping," Bess said. "40-25 (rebounding edge), that is a blowout."

The Raiders are back in action Saturday against Lewis & Clark on the road at 4 p.m. As the season goes, they will continue to get better.

"Patience is a term I have used several times," Bess said. "You want to have patience but you also want to be good now, too."