RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky men's basketball team led from start to finish in its 80-51 victory over Southeast Missouri Saturday afternoon in McBrayer Arena. The win broke a four-game losing skid for the Colonels (11-13, 8-8 OVC) while the Redhawks (6-17, 3-14) have now dropped 10 straight contests.

Four players finished in double figures for Eastern Kentucky led by senior Jason McLeish's 20 tallies, the ninth time this season he has reached the 20-point plateau. Fellow senior Matt Witt (11 points) became just the second Colonel ever to eclipse 1,700 career points and need 14 more to establish a new school record. Meanwhile, junior Michael Brock (14 points) and sophomore Darnell Dialls (11 points) were both one rebound shy of a double-double.

SEMO's Roy Booker, the conference's leading scorer, posted a game-high 23 points while Paul Paradoski added 10 points and four assists.

The host Colonels jumped on top of Southeast Missouri right out of the gate, scoring 11 of the game's first 13 points. Three-pointers by Witt and Brock highlighted the Eastern run. A 10-0 Colonel spurt late in the first half then put EKU ahead, 36-14. Eastern held the Redhawks to 17 points in the first 20 minutes, the lowest by any Colonel opponent this season.

Southeast Missouri crept to within 17 points midway through the second half, 52-35, but would get no closer the rest of the way. The Colonels forced 15 Redhawk turnovers on the afternoon and converted them into 22 points. On the other hand, Eastern Kentucky committed a season-low four turnovers leading to just two SEMO points. Witt was especially effective handling the ball – registering six assists to one turnover.

Eastern Kentucky hits the road for its annual Alabama trip next week with games at Samford on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and Jacksonville State on Feb. 16. EKU and Samford will tip off Tuesday night at 8 p.m. Southeast Missouri returns home to face Eastern Illinois on Feb. 15 at 8:30 p.m.