NASSAU, Bahamas — Senior Karam Mashour registered game highs of 16 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Morehead State men’s basketball team to a lopsided 103-57 exhibition win over the Real Deal Shockers on Sunday afternoon at Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.
The Eagles have now scored 218 points in two Bahamas affairs, while allowing just 126. MSU pounded the Grand Bahamas All-Stars, 115-69, in its exhibition opener on Saturday night.
Mashour, a UNLV transfer who has played just five regular-season minutes in two years at Morehead State (a redshirt in 2012-13 and injured player in 2013-14), has now tallied 38 points and 37 rebounds in two exhibition tilts. He has drilled 18-of-33 from the field in 45 minutes.
“I’m so proud of Karam right now,” Head Coach Sean Woods said. “He’s had two huge games down here in the Bahamas. He’s certainly playing with a great motor right now. That’s how we like to play. Now, we need to get some of our other guys to play at that same level.”
Six Eagles reached the 10-point plateau on Sunday. Senior Angelo Warner, junior Brent Arrington and freshman Marquel Willis recorded 15 apiece, while junior Anthony Elechi added 13 and senior Chad Donley chipped in with 11. Elechi’s scoring came on 6-of-7 from the field.
Junior Jared Ravenscraft, who played just 15 regular-season minutes in 2013-14, tallied nine points in the victory. Sophomore Corban Collins, who enters his first season of eligibility at MSU, handed out a team-best eight assists, while senior Kareem Storey notched four steals.
“This trip is worth more than its weight in gold,” Woods said. “We are getting exactly what we need out of these games. We are getting better as a team. It’s also been nice to play everyone. Guys who are normally limited on their minutes have stepped up and contributed for us.”
The contest featured 44 fouls and 63 free-throw attempts. The Real Deal Shockers were called for three technical fouls during the same deadball, but FIBA rules only gave MSU two free tosses.
“Today was definitely a physical game,” Woods said. “I’m so proud of our guys for keeping their composure. They could have easily lost focus, which would have pulled down our performance.”
Morehead State posted a 62-41 rebounding advantage. The Eagles were credited with 25 assists and 16 steals, while limiting themselves to just 10 turnovers. The Shockers produced only 13 helpers and five thefts, while committing 25 miscues. MSU had an 18-4 scoring edge in points off turnovers.
“All of our guys are battling,” Woods said. “Our defense has been really good here in the Bahamas. We’ve been putting a lot of pressure on the ball, helping each other and rebounding on a regular basis. We’ve been playing with a smaller line-up, but our guards aren’t afraid to crash the boards.”
MSU wraps up its three-game exhibition slate against the Pyramid Food Rockets on Monday at 9 p.m. ET. In-game coverage will not be available due to the gym’s lack of internet. MSUEagles.com, Twitter.com/MSUAthletics and Facebook.com/MSUEagles will have information following the game.
“I like this group because they’re all about the team,” Woods added. “Guys aren’t worried about individual attention or their statistics. They just want to win. I’ve always said everyone gets what they want when the team wins. I hope that happens one more time before we return to Kentucky.”
[adsenseyu1]
Comments
