Eastern Illinois gets by Southeast Missouri 77-74

Jan 25, 2014, 09:15 pm

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Reggie Smith, who scored 23 points, made five in the last 1:20 as Eastern Illinois held on for a 77-74 victory over Southeast Missouri State Saturday.

Eastern Illinois (7-13, 4-5 Ohio Valley) held a 69-56 advantage with 3:41 remaining in the game when the Redhawks charged back. Lucas Nutt, who had 17 points, made a 3-pointer and a layup and Jarekious Bradley (18 points) followed with a 3-point jumper to close to 70-66. Bradley hit another 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining to cut the Eastern Illinois lead to 75-72.

Josh Piper and Dylan Chatman (13 points) each made a free throw in the final seconds to seal the victory for the Panthers. Chris Oliver also contributed 13 for Eastern Illinois.

Southeast Missouri (11-10, 3-5), which had been making 38 percent of its 3-pointers, made only 19 percent. The Panthers were 7 of 13 from beyond the arc.