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Box Score I Postgame Quotes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky led from start to finish in a convincing 84-76 victory over Southeast Missouri Thursday night in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals.

With the win, the third-seeded Colonels (22-9) advance to play Murray State in the semifinals Friday night. That game will be televised by ESPNU beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

Both teams entered the contest riding significant winning streaks. EKU won its final four regular season games while Southeast Missouri (18-14) was riding a five-game winning streak and had won seven of eight overall.

However, it was the Colonels who jumped on top early and never looked back. Eastern scored the first eight points and twice built a lead as large as 20 points in the first half. Senior Orlando Williams came off the bench to post 14 points at halftime, thanks to going 4-for-4 from three-point range. As a team, Eastern Kentucky made 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) of its three-point shots before intermission.

Early in the second half, a pair of Eric Stutz free throws gave the Colonels their largest lead of the contest, 51-29.

EKU maintained a 15-to-20-point cushion until the final five minutes of regulation. A 12-1 Redhawk spurt cut the deficit to 10 points with 4:07 left, 71-61. Two minutes later, Southeast Missouri made one more charge to creep within six points (79-73), but the Colonels made 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.

This is the second straight year Eastern Kentucky has advanced to the OVC tournament semifinals.

Junior Corey Walden paced Eastern with 17 points on 6-of-8 (75 percent) shooting, five rebounds and three steals. Senior Tarius Johnson added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Williams finished with 14 points while fellow senior Glenn Cosey posted 15 points.

For Southeast Missouri, Jarekious Bradley led four players in double figures with 18 points. Nino Johnson chipped in with 10 points and 11 boards.

NOTES
With its 22nd win of the season, Eastern Kentucky set a new program record for wins over a three-year period with 63.

This was the fourth straight year Eastern Kentucky and Southeast Missouri have played each other in the OVC Tournament and the second straight year the two teams have met in the quarterfinals.

Eastern Kentucky is making its 12th straight OVC Tournament appearance. Only EKU and Murray State have appeared in each of the last 12 conference tournaments.

The Colonels are now 36-33 all-time in the OVC Tournament. Eastern Kentucky has the third-most tournament game victories.

EKU's 22 wins are tied for the second-most in program history.

EKU is 12-1 this season when scoring 80-plus. The Colonels are 48-7 under Jeff Neubauer when scoring 80 or more.

Glenn Cosey needs two three-pointers to tie the school's single season record of 104. The record is held by Jeff McGill (1987-88) and Adam Leonard (2006-07).

Eastern Kentucky entered the game first in the OVC in scoring defense (70.1 ppg). Southeast Missouri entered the game first in the league in scoring (83.3 ppg). The Redhawks finished with 76 points.

Eastern had held its previous five opponents to an average of 69 points per game.

EKU entered the game first in the nation in turnover margin (+6.7) but finished with just one less turnover than Southeast Missouri on Thursday.

Eastern Kentucky entered the game fifth in the nation in steals (262) and eighth with an average of 8.7 per game. The Colonels finished with nine steals against Southeast Missouri.

Eastern is now 5-4 all-time as the No. 3 seed in the OVC Tournament. The Colonels are now 17-5 against lower seeded teams since seeding began in 1975.

The Colonels are now 5-7 in OVC Tournament games under head coach Jeff Neubauer.

EKU is now 3-9 in games played at Municipal Auditorium.

EKU now leads the all-time series with Southeast Missouri, 27-19. The Colonels are 3-2 against the Redhawks in neutral site games.

Southeast Missouri is now 10-12 all-time in the OVC Tournament. The Redhawks are 4-4 in tournament games under head coach Dickey Nutt.