Teddy Washington Jr. shines as Southeast Missouri State defeats Tennessee Tech

Teddy Washington Jr. scored 21 points to lead Southeast Missouri State past Tennessee Tech 83-69 on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Show Me Center.

Washington was 8-of-19 from the field and made all four of the Redhawks’ free throw attempts. Washington scored over 20 points for the first time since tying a career-high 28 against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 19, 2024.

"The thing I love about Teddy is just the ultimate competitor," SEMO head coach Brad Korn said. "He's a warrior. He's a dog. He just wants to compete and play."

Rob Martin scored 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting and seven assists. Brendan Terry went 7-of-9 from the field to finish with 15 points. Braxton Stacker added 14 points and BJ Ward added 10 points for the Redhawks.

Jaylon Johnson led the Golden Eagles with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-5 from the three-point line. Grant Slaton scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. 7-2 center David Craig was held without a basket and was on the court for only seven minutes, after coming off a game last Thursday when he played for 16 minutes and grabbed 11 rebounds against Little Rock.

"Actually, one of our assistants, DJ Byrd, coached him at Mercer in his freshman year. So we were pretty familiar with him. I thought our guys did a great job," Korn said. "We never let him become a factor."

The Eagles opened the game on an 8-2 run highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers by Kyle Layton and Matthew Sells.

A jump shot by Martin broke up the run with 15:30 remaining in the first half and sparked an 11-0 run of their own to take a 13-9 lead with 11:30 left.

After the Eagles cut their deficit to a point, the Redhawks made three shots from the three-point line to power an 11-2 run, extending their lead to 29-17 with 5:14 left in the first half.

Despite shooting 5-of-14 from the three-point line, the 3-ball powered SEMO’s runs and led to a 31-21 halftime lead. The Redhawks built up a double-digit lead in the first half without the need to go to the free-throw line.

"I didn't think our motors were running high enough," Korn said. "I thought we were okay. We were kind of in third gear, and I wanted to go to fifth gear."

A three-pointer from Stacker pushed SEMO’s lead to above 20 at 58-36 with 12:22 left in the game.

"I thought the start of the second half, we came out in fourth gear, then went to fifth gear pretty quick," Korn said. "So I give our guys credit for understanding that."

The Eagles tried to rally in the tail end of the second half with a 10-0 run sparked by Slatton’s layup and dunk. However, the Redhawks continued to maintain their 20-point lead.

The Redhawks' last basket of the game came from Terry sinking his only three-point attempt not just of the season, but as an NCAA basketball player. Martin, who was credited for the assist, said Terry has long been practicing his three-point shooting and it was just a matter of time before he finally pulled the trigger.

"He was like, 'trust me, trust me'," Martin said. "I end up throwing it to him. He knocked it down. Man, he's a he's a great player. He works hard and I'm proud of him. He finally got his first three-pointer."

SEMO has won seven straight games for the first time since 2004-05, which also came against Ohio Valley Conference opponents. The next win will give the Redhawks their longest winning streak as a Division I program, which started in 1991.

SEMO will host Western Illinois on Thursday and Lindenwood on Saturday to close out the final homestand of the season.

"With four games left, every game is the next biggest game," Korn said. "Every game has equal value in the win-loss column at this point."