Vanderbilt dominates second half to topple SEMO MBB 85-76

Southeast Missouri State coach Brad Korn stands in front of the bench during a game against Evansville on Nov. 15, 2023, at the Show Me Center.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt simply had an answer for every SEMO bright spot on Sunday afternoon.

It came from an effort that saw the Redhawks trail the entire second half, as the Commodores defeated SEMO 85-76 at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn.

With the loss, SEMO (0-2) falls to 1-23 all-time against SEC opposition.

“We did not do a very good job on the glass,” head coach Brad Korn said. “Credit to them for the foul line discrepancy and offensive rebounding. They were rolling the ground strong. They were getting to their spots. So, I don't know if there was much systematically or game-planning wise that we could have done totally different. At the end of the day, you're on your own when that ball gets to the rim. Just a little bit more commitment to toughness and to get the ball on a couple rebounds, but again, I'm not going to fault our guys and I thought they played their hearts out.”

Promising sophomore BJ Ward continued to emerge after the 6-foot guard posted a game-high 22 points (new career high) on 8-of-13 shooting, including six made 3-pointers and five assists.

Junior college transfer Teddy Washington Jr. also had a career day and supplemented the offense with 19 points and five rebounds. Six-foot-7 senior TJ Biel was the third Redhawk to reach double digits scoring wise, as the Canadian finished with 12 points behind four 3-pointers.

SEMO looked sharp in the early stages, as Korn’s squad raced to a 16-6 lead behind Ward’s long-range shooting. Things quickly took a turn, however, as Vanderbilt (2-0) responded with a 17-4 run, capitalizing on six SEMO turnovers.

Biel and Ward, who drained four 3s in the opening half, kept the Redhawks in the game as they only trailed 40-38 at the break.

“The message at halftime was just to clean up,” Korn said. “They were making some adjustments mid-game, so just trying to make sure our guys understood what the other team’s adjustments were so we could make our own. But again, it was the same message that was to start the game, and, ultimately, what got us in the end was just rebounding and the free throw line.”

The Commodores pulled away with a 56-45 advantage to open the final half, largely on the back of junior guard Jason Edwards, who clocked out of the game with a team-high 17 points.

The Redhawks hinted at a comeback following a Washington Jr. 3-pointer to make it 70-65 with 8:00 remaining, but Vanderbilt’s ball movement and interior scoring proved too much to match in the final stages.

Vanderbilt out-rebounded SEMO 53-32, including 20-4 on the offensive glass. The Commodores also outscored the Redhawks 42-22 in the paint and made 32 of 41 free throws.

Big picture

The challenging two-game stretch to open the new season has not been friendly, as SEMO fell to the Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite (Bradley) and an SEC program (Vanderbilt). To the likes of Ward and Biel, SEMO shot efficiently from 3-point range, but struggled in the paint after shooting at just a 44-percent clip. Equally troubling for the Redhawks: only four offensive rebounds on Sunday.

Still, SEMO has enough experience and depth to make some noise down the stretch, and Korn trusts his team’s ability to clean things up along the way.

“The main thing is to continue to play the way we've been playing,” Korn said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth in our team in the first four days. You don't necessarily want to start your season at Vandy and at Bradley, per se, but one thing that does do is exposes your weaknesses right away.

“I'm encouraged about what we can be this week coming up with Wednesday at home and then Sunday at home. So, a nice little home stand. I think people saw through the TV screen the way that this group plays and I think that's something to be excited about.”

Looking ahead

SEMO will get set for its home opener against Crowley’s Ridge on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at the Show Me Center. Tip off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Overmatched SEMO WBB falls to No. 4 Texas

The hot-shooting No. 4 Texas Longhorns dominated SEMO 119-47 at the Moody Center on Sunday afternoon to hand the Redhawks their second setback of the season.

Texas (1-0), who won the Big 12 tournament last season, became the highest ranked team that SEMO has faced in program history, and looked every bit of its top-five national ranking.

Texas’ physicality and athleticism posed problems all afternoon. The Longhorns forced turnovers, altered shots, controlled the boards and didn't allow SEMO many clean looks, especially from long range.

Texas led 66-29 at halftime before nearly doubling its lead in the final two quarters as six Longhorns reached double-digits in the scoring department.

Zoe Best’s performance helped offset SEMO’s limited scoring output. The star-studded freshman, coming off a 25-point outing against Dayton, finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Senior guard Skylar Barnes supplemented with a solid performance, scoring a team-high 11 points.

The Longhorns outscored SEMO 86-18 in the paint.

The Redhawks made just 18 of 61 shots (29.5 percent), while an elite Texas unit made 48 of 82 for an impressive 58.5-percent clip.

SEMO’s road slate continues on Thursday, Nov. 14 when the Redhawks take on Evansville for a non-conference battle at 6 p.m.