UNC Asheville downs SEMO MBB 72-64

Fifth-year head coach Brad Korn surveys the court in front of the SEMO bench against Chattanooga on Sunday, Nov. 17.

Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

CONWAY, Ark. — Southeast Missouri State men's basketball went from shooting red-hot on Thursday night to shooting ice-cold against UNC Asheville 24 hours later.

The Redhawks opened up with a competitive first half but stalled for most of the second frame, dropping a 72-64 loss to the Bulldogs on Friday night at the Ferris Center.

As a collective whole, the Redhawks (2-4) got to shoot frequently but did not convert at an efficient rate, sinking just 34.9% of their shots from the field. SEMO was also outrebounded for the fifth time this season and, according to head coach Brad Korn, “did not pass enough” or “convert any easy shots around the basket.”

Both teams went toe-to-toe in the opening frame, as there were seven lead changes and no more than five points of separation in the first 20 minutes of action. SEMO trailed 30-27 at halftime after shooting at a mere 30.3% clip.

Things began to click for SEMO around the five-minute mark in the second half. Brendan Terry hit a slick jumper off a perfectly-timed pass from Teddy Washington Jr., cutting the deficit to 56-48. Rob Martin followed that up with back-to-back jumpers to pull the Redhawks to within four.

That’s until the Bulldogs swarmed SEMO’s pick-and-roll and ran away with it late in regulation, with Josh Banks’ alley-oop dunk giving UNC Asheville (2-2) a 64-57 cushion with 1:39 left to put the game to sleep.

Washington Jr. led the charge for the SEMO offense, logging 15 points and shooting 2 for 8 from 3-point range, while also grabbing seven rebounds. Martin turned in 13 points, while BJ Ward, who did not have his first basket until the 13-minute mark in the second half, finished with 10.

Big Picture

One night after SEMO pieced together arguably its most well-rounded performance of the season with an overtime win over Central Arkansas, the Redhawks, who entered the game as 9.5-point underdogs, looked shaky against a beatable UNC Asheville squad.

SEMO’s inability to compete on the glass proved costly Friday. As mentioned, UNC Asheville outrebounded the Redhawks 46-37 and had a 13-8 edge in second-chance points. SEMO also drained 12 3-pointers against Central Arkansas, but saw that total plummet to just five on Friday.

What's next?

SEMO will get an entire week to rest up and reassess before returning to the Show Me Center for a non-conference battle against Kansas City on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m.