RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky's men's and women's basketball teams play their final home games of the season when Southeast Missouri visits McBrayer Arena on Thursday.
 
The women's game will tip-off at 5:30 p.m.  The men's game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.  Thursday is Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night.  All EKU faculty and staff, plus one guest can receive free admission to the women's and men's basketball games.  Thursday also marks Senior Night for men's basketball seniors Dillon Avare and Zach Charles. 
 
A live free video broadcast of both games is available worldwide on OVCDigitalNetwork.com.

Women's Preview
 
WHAT TO KNOW
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EKU is 8-17 overall and 5-10 in OVC games.
 
The Colonels fell to Tennessee State on Saturday, 69-58, in Nashville.
 
A'Queen Hayes had 21 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block at TSU.
 
For the eighth time this season, Hayes was chosen as the OVC Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday.  Hayes averaged 18 points and five rebounds in games against Belmont and Tennessee State.  She also contributed 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
 
EKU leads the all-time series with Southeast Missouri 31-16.  The Colonels had won six in a row over the Redhawks before Southeast Missouri picked up a 69-55 win in Cape Girardeau on Jan. 13.  Eastern Kentucky is 17-6 against SEMO in games played in Richmond.
 
EKU turned the ball over 20 times at Tennessee State.
 
Hayes is seventh in the OVC in scoring (15.0 ppg), third in rebounding (8.2 rpg), 11th in assists (3.2 apg), ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1), tied for 12th in steals (1.6 spg), fifth in minutes played (35.1/g), first in offensive rebounds (3.3/g) and eighth in defensive rebounds (4.9/g).
 
Eastern Kentucky is fifth in the OVC in scoring defense (64.6 ppg), fourth in rebounding defense (35.1 rpg), fourth in rebounding margin (+3.2), fifth in blocks (3.5/g), fourth in rebounding offense (38.3 rpg), and fifth in field goal percentage defense (40.0 percent).
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Southeast Missouri has won two straight since suffering a three-game losing skid.  The Redhawks are 13-15 overall and now 8-8 against OVC teams.
 
The trio of Tesia Thompson, Ashton Luttrull and Adrianna lead the SEMO offense.  Thompson, a 5-foot-10 freshman guard, leads the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game and is second in rebounds (5.4 rpg).  Luttrull, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, contributes 11.2 points, leads the team with 48 three-pointers and is second on the squad with 1.8 assists per game.  Murphy, a 5-foot-3 junior guard, contributes 10.5 points.  Deja Jones, a 5-foot-11 senior forward, leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per game.
 
As a team, Southeast averages just 62.6 points per game, but is third in the conference in scoring defense (62.5 ppg).  The Redhawks have shot 41 percent from the field, but just 29.5 percent from three-point range.  SEMO opponents shoot 39 percent from the field and 32 percent from deep.
 
Southeast Missouri clinched a spot in the OVC Tournament with a 72-62 win at home over SIU Edwardsville on Saturday.  The Redhawks limited the Cougars to one field goal the final three minutes.
 
Thompson led the way with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists.  Murphy added 15 points, four assists and a career-high eight steals.
 
UP NEXT
The 2017-18 regular season concludes on Saturday at Morehead State.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.

Men's Preview

WHAT TO KNOW

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EKU (10-19, 4-12 OVC) stunned red-hot Tennessee State, 72-59, in Nashville last Saturday night to keep its postseason hopes alive. The Tigers had won seven straight games heading into Saturday.
 
The Colonels are now battling SIUE (9-18, 5-11 OVC) and UT Martin (9-20, 4-12 OVC) for the eighth and final spot in the OVC Tournament.
 
Junior Nick Mayo scored a game-high 25 points in the win over TSU. He moved past Turk Tillman (1978-80) and Corey Walden (2012-15) to No. 8 on EKU's all-time scoring list (1,533 points).
 
Mayo shot 64.3 percent from the field in two games last week (18-of-28). He is averaging 23.0 points-per-game over EKU's last seven games.
 
Senior Dillon Avare knocked down five three-pointers and finished with a season-high 15 points at TSU. He has now hit more than 100 three-pointers in his career (103).
 
Senior Zach Charles recorded his first double-double of the season (and third of his career) at Tennessee State, scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 boards.
 
Freshman point guard JacQuess Hobbs played 38 minutes at Tennessee State. Hobbs ranks 12^th in the OVC in assists (3.4 assists-per-game) and sixth in the OVC in assist/turnover ratio (2.4) during league play.
 
EKU shot a season-best 53.3 percent (24-of-45) from the field at TSU. The Tigers had held their last six opponents to a combined 39 percent shooting from the floor.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Southeast Missouri (14-15, 8-8 OVC) arrives in Richmond having won four straight games.
 
Denzel Mahoney leads the Redhawks and ranks second in the OVC in scoring at 19.3 points-per-game.
 
This is the 51^st all-time meeting between EKU and SEMO. The Colonels lead the series, 30-20, and they won in Cape Girardeau, 91-86, in January.
 
UP NEXT
EKU will close out the regular season at in-state rival Morehead State on Saturday, February 24. Tip time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET.