MOREHEAD, Ky. — Senior Corey Walden scored 16 points in the second half, and the Eastern Kentucky men’s basketball team used a late 21-7 run to post a 66-57 Ohio Valley Conference win over Morehead State before a season-best crowd of 5,785 on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Arena.
The Colonels, who snap a three-game skid, improve to 12-9 overall, 4-4 in conference action and 6-7 on the road. The Eagles, who see their three-game winning streak end, drop to 10-14 overall, 5-4 in league play and 3-6 at home. EKU also improves to 107-76 in the all-time series against MSU.
“Give Eastern Kentucky credit,” Head Coach Sean Woods said. “They had their backs against the wall and found a way to get a big road win. They stuck to their script, stayed disciplined and played solid. That being said, I’m disappointed with the way we played. We didn’t stay the course today.”
Morehead State enjoyed a 34-27 upper hand at halftime, but Eastern Kentucky responded with a 39-23 scoring advantage after intermission. In the second half, EKU registered a 20-11 rebounding advantage, made 17-of-21 from the free-throw stripe and held MSU to 6-of-23 from the field.
Walden managed a game-high 20 points on 12-of-13 from the foul line. He was also credited with four steals, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Senior Eric Stutz added 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for EKU. He knocked down 5-of-9 overall and all six free-throw attempts.
Senior Angelo Warner paced Morehead State with 17 points on 7-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point land. Senior Brent Arrington contributed 12 points for MSU, while senior Karam Mashour recorded a game-high 10 rebounds and sophomore Corban Collins tallied a game-best six assists.
“We did what we needed to do from a defensive standpoint, but our offense wasn’t very good in the second half,” Woods said. “The good thing is we will have another opportunity to play Eastern Kentucky, but we have a lot of work to do between now and then. We need to get better.”
The contest had seven ties and 11 lead changes. Morehead State’s biggest lead of seven points was the halftime score. Eastern Kentucky’s largest advantage of 11 points came with less than a minute to play. MSU was in the driver’s seat for more than 22 minutes, while EKU led for 12-plus.
Morehead State built its halftime lead on the strength of a 20-9 rebounding advantage. The Eagles also handed out 10 assists on 12 field goals before the break. EKU manufactured runs of 8-0 and 14-4 in the tilt’s final four minutes to build a double-figure advantage and hang on for the win.
The crowd was Morehead State’s largest in the past 43 home games. The Eagles had a turnout of 6,036 against No. 10/12 Murray State on Jan. 18, 2012.
Morehead State wraps up its three-game homestand on Thursday against conference opponent Tennessee State and Saturday versus league foe Belmont. Saturday’s tilt has been dubbed as a “Blackout” as t-shirt/ticket packages are available for just $10. For more, visit MSUEagles.com.
Comments
