The SEMO men’s basketball team was defeated on Nov. 19 by the Arkansas State Red Wolves with a score of 72-60 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

It was a tight contest in the first half with five ties and four lead changes which led to an Arkansas State six-point lead at halftime. The Red Wolves came out in the second half and outscored SEMO 33-27, giving them a 12-point victory.

Junior guard Eric Reed Jr. led the team in scoring with 15 points, as well as assists with three. Arkansas State out-rebounded SEMO 45-32.

“My teammates do a good job of getting me open. I got to do a better job of putting them in positions to succeed,” Reed said. “We were down ten on the boards. There’s nothing really they did or ran, they just played harder than us.”

Freshman guard Phillip Russell contributed 13 points and two assists in the losing effort. Russell said he’s starting to feel comfortable and the trust he has with his teammates is the reason he’s able to feel confident.

“I’m just trying to win and make winning plays to help back my teammates up and I know they got my back,” Russell said.

Head coach Brad Korn said the lack of rebounding and interior defense have been hurting his team the most so far this season.

“I don’t think our defense is as bad as it shows, but we obviously have to improve defensively,” Korn said. “I think we play hard for the most part. The rebounding and the protecting the paint has been a bugaboo for us the last couple games so we [have to get] that corrected.”

The Redhawks allowed 30 points in the paint, as well as 16 second chance points.

On the offensive side of the ball, Korn said at times he thought the ball got “stuck” in the second half and he’s confident his team can get things corrected before their next game on Monday.

The Redhawks look to improve on their 1-2 overall record on Monday, Nov. 22 as they take on Missouri Baptist at 7 p.m. at the Show Me Center.