Box Score (PDF)

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball team dropped its Ohio Valley Conference opener, 81-48, to a hot-shooting Southeast Missouri team on Saturday afternoon at the Show Me Center.
 
Sophomore forward Nick Mayo paced EKU (7-9, 0-1 OVC) with 12 points and eight rebounds. Freshman forward DeAndre Dishman added 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal, while junior forward Zach Charles finished with eight points and eight boards.
 
Freshman forward Marlon Adams came off the bench to tally nine points, four rebounds and two blocks.
 
Jamaal Calvin and Denzel Mahoney both had 15 points to lead five SEMO (6-10, 1-0 OVC) players in double figures.
 
EKU out-rebounded Southeast Missouri, 31-29, and outscored the Redhawks in the paint, 28-26; however, SEMO shot 56 percent (29-of-52) from the field and knocked down 13 shots from behind the arc to pull away for the win.
 
SEMO led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but EKU went on an 8-3 run late in the half and pulled to within five, 28-23, on a dunk by Charles with 1:30 on the clock. A dunk on the other end of the floor by SEMO's Antonius Cleveland made it 30-23 at halftime.
 
The Redhawks exploded in the second half, shooting 63 percent (17-of-27) from the floor and 62 percent (8-of-13) from deep to pull away.
 
EKU returns home to host SIUE on Thursday, January 5. Tipoff from McBrayer Arena is schedule fro 8:00 p.m.