SIU Edwardsville defeats Southeast Missouri 69-48 to claim OVC championship

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (KBSI) — No. 2 SIU Edwardsville controlled the second half to defeat No. 1 Southeast Missouri 69-48 in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship on Saturday night at the Ford Center, securing the program’s first OVC Tournament title.

SIU Edwardsville Defeats Southeast Missouri 69-48 to Claim OVC Championship

Ray’Sean Taylor, the OVC Player of the Year, led all scorers with 20 points and seven rebounds as the Cougars (22-11) outscored the Redhawks (21-12) 31-10 over the final 14 minutes. SIUE also controlled the boards, outrebounding SEMO 50-31 and outscoring them 40-22 in the paint.

SEMO, making its second OVC Tournament final appearance in three years under head coach Brad Korn, started strong behind Rob Martin, who scored 10 of the Redhawks’ first 12 points. Martin’s hot start helped SEMO take a 12-5 lead early, but SIUE responded with an 18-4 run, capitalizing on a four-minute scoring drought by the Redhawks.

The Cougars took their first lead at 19-16 on a 3-pointer by Brian Taylor and extended the margin to 35-24 by halftime. SEMO fought back, opening the second half with a 12-1 run to tie the game at 36-36 after a layup from Brendan Terry. Another jumper from Martin evened the score at 38-38 before SIUE seized control with a decisive 19-2 run.

Martin led SEMO with 18 points and was named to the OVC All-Tournament Team, while Terry added 16 points and six rebounds. Despite defeating SIUE twice in the regular season—including a win that clinched the OVC regular-season title—the Redhawks could not match the Cougars’ defensive intensity and rebounding dominance in the championship game.

The Redhawks went 5-1 in their final six OVC Conference Tournament games.