Box Score
Box Score (PDF)
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State junior Chynna Bozeman scored a season-high 27 points, and the Eagles battled visiting Marshall University to the final horn Friday night, but in the end the Herd escaped with a 73-71 win at Johnson Arena.
MSU fell to 8-4 and and the loss snapped a five-game winning streak. Marshall improved to 5-4 and won its eighth-straight game against the MSU program.
The Eagles built a 38-32 halftime lead thanks in part to Bozeman’s hot hand from outside. She was 5-of-7 from three-point range in the opening half and scored 19 points.
Marshall pulled ahead 22-17 with 8:59 left in the first half after two Adrian Randall free throws. Back-to-back jumpers by Watson and Bozeman brought MSU back to within 22-21. A trey by the Herd’s Handy made it 25-21 with 6:52 left, but the Eagles held MU without a field goal until the 3:24 mark. By that time, Bozeman had drained two more triples and MSU led 30-25.
Marshall cut the game to three (30-27) but another Bozeman trey and a three-ball from Courtney Lumpkin gave MSU its six-point advantage at the half. MSU had just two turnovers in the first half.
Neither team led by more than five in the second half as Marshall’s largest lead was 63-58 with 6:37 left. The Eagles trailed 71-69 with 1:26 left in the game. Bozeman hit one of two free throws to make it a 71-70 game. Kendra King’s layup with 1:01 remaining pushed the Herd lead out to 73-70. Lumpkin hit one of two free throws with 13 seconds left before Marshall missed the front end of a one and one with only six ticks left. Lumpkin’s desperation toss nearly tickled the nets as the horn went off but it rimmed off.
Bozeman was 6-of-10 from three-point range for her season high. Lumpkin scored a career high 18 points and handed out a team high five assists. Freshman Ashar Harris recorded her third career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Chantelle Handy led the Herd with 16 points, while Tynikki Crook tallied 15. Marshall held a 45-40 lead in the rebounding column. The Eagles shot 37 percent for the game, including hitting 11 of 26 from three-point range.
The Eagles travel to Moon Township, Pa., on Sunday to face Robert Morris at 5 p.m.
