OXFORD, Ohio – In a closely-contested battle, Morehead State women’s basketball fell in its second game in two days with a 59-57 loss to Miami (Ohio) Sunday afternoon at Millet Hall.
The Eagles (3-4) were carried by a stellar defensive performance, holding the RedHawks (3-2) to 37 percent shooting from the floor and forcing 21 turnovers. The Miami duo of sophomore forward Baleigh Reid and freshman guard Leah Purvis combined going into the game averaging 38 points. The Eagles held them to a combined 10 on the afternoon.
“We had a great effort despite playing yesterday in Chicago, and our will to win was great in a defensive type of game,” said Head Coach Greg Todd. “We did a much better job in our half-court defense, forcing turnovers, and held their leading scorers down. We did an outstanding job defensively today.”
MSU took two separate leads in the fourth quarter, but junior forward Shay Steele, junior guard Aaliyah Wells, and sophomore forward Eriel McKee were in foul trouble down the stretch, putting each on the bench at crucial points. In the closing seconds of the contest, senior guard Natatlie Greenwell pulled up for a game-tying jumper, drawing contact from a RedHawk defender, but the attempt fell short.
The Eagles were led in scoring by Steele with 17. The only other to score in double figures was McKee with 13 points, including 10 in the second half. Freshman guard Miranda Crockett finished with six points, six rebounds, and five assists. Sophomore forward Brooke Todd came off the bench, netting six points and grabbing a season-high eight rebounds.
MSU will continue on to Morgantown, W.Va., Wednesday for game number three of the five-game road stretch to take on West Virginia at 7 p.m. ET. The meeting between the Eagles and the Mountaineers will be the first in program history.
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