Redhawks go cold, fall to Arkansas State

It was already decided, but Southeast Missouri State's last-minute sequence best conveyed Friday's 72-60 loss to Arkansas State.

A pair of layups and a wide-open 3-pointer — all three shots part of the same SEMO offensive trip — didn't fall through the cylinder.

The Redhawks (1-2) shot a chilly 7 for 25 from the field in the second half, dropping their second straight at the Show Me Center.

And for the second straight game, SEMO, which fell 97-79 to Youngstown State on Saturday, got outmuscled.

Arkansas State - a team picked sixth in the Sun Belt Conference preseason poll — outrebounded the SEMO 45-32.

Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year forward Norchad Omier had a game-high 18 points, 12 rebounds and three assists, helping Arkansas State (3-1) grow its 39-33 halftime lead.

His alley-oop dunk in transition late in the second half gave ASU a 15-point cushion that wouldn't be relinquished.

Playing from behind and trying to find a rhythm, SEMO dug itself a deeper hole by shooting 1-for-11 from 3-point range in the second half.

SEMO guard Eric Reed, who led the Redhawks with 15 points, saw a similar effort than the one his team experienced six days ago.

Reed hit a 3-pointer to knot the game at 28-28 late in the first half before Arkansas State began its run.

"They played harder than us, simple as that," Reed said. "And that's something we need to take pride in. We have SEMO on our chest, so there's no team that should be playing harder than us."

After starting the season with a thrilling 99-94 win at Missouri State, the Redhawks are in a rut.

SEMO is yielding 87 points a game, getting beat on the offense glass and has struggled to defend in the paint.

Second-year head coach Brad Korn's squad, who entered one of its most anticipated seasons in years after being picked fourth in Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, sees the concerning trends.

"We have to get that corrected," Korn said. "Maybe some things have slipped a little bit after the success we had (at Missouri State). You think and assume that will continue on like that, but every game is different."

SEMO's lone All-OVC preseason pick Chris Harris had two points and two turnovers in14 minutes on Saturday. He had nine points and four turnovers in 22 minutes against Youngstown State.

Redhawks point guard Phillip Russell had 13 points for SEMO, which hosts NAIA Missouri Baptist on Monday.