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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.— Morehead State men’s basketball capitalized on a quick second half start and a tenacious defense in the final 20 minutes as the Eagles won their sixth straight game, rallying past host Southeast Missouri 76-63 Thursday night at the Show Me Center.
MSU improved to 12-6 and 5-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference, winning by double digits for the fifth time in the last six games overall. SEMO fell to 5-12 and 4-3 in the league as the Eagles defeated the Redhawks for the sixth straight time.
“They are a nice team that is much improved from last season, but our kids competed hard and played hard for 40 minutes,” said MSU coach Donnie Tyndall. “SEMO has five guys that can really score the ball, and they made every shot early it seemed like.”
Leading by just four at the half, MSU opened the final half on a 6-0 run and built a double-digit lead it never relinquished. MSU shot 52 percent in the second period and limited the Redhawks, who had shot 43 percent in the opening half, to just 33 percent.
Five Eagles scored in double digits, led by Sam Goodman’s 16 which were just two short of a career high. Terrance Hill tallied 12, while Kenneth Faried, Demonte Harper and Drew Kelly each had 11. Kelly’s total came up just one short of the career high he set Saturday against Jacksonville State.
The Eagles led the rebounding battle, 35-32. Faried had nine boards, and Kelly pulled down six.
Leon Powell’s 20 points led four Redhawks reaching double figures. Lucas Nutt hit four treys and scored 14, while Anthony Allison notched 12 and Marland Smith chipped in 10.
The Redhawks opened the game ahead 7-3 in the first three minutes, but a 7-3 Eagle run tied the contest at 10. SEMO pushed ahead 17-12 and led 25-18 at the 9:34 mark before the Eagles began a furious rally. Faried began a 19-6 scoring run with a jumper at 8:43, and Harper hit a pair of free throws at 3:31 as the Eagles went out on top 37-31.
MSU went to the locker room with a 41-37 advantage. Goodman, Kelly and Hill had nine, eight and seven points, respectively, to pace the Eagles’ first half.
Faried scored MSU’s first six points of the second half, and the Eagles built a quick 10-point lead (47-37). A Marland Smith triple cut MSU’s lead under double digits at 51-42, but then a 10-3 Eagle scoring run pushed the visitors’ advantage out to 16 at 61-45 with 10:31 remaining.
The MSU lead ballooned out to 19 at 72-53 with 4:12 left before the Eagles won by 13. The Eagles finished the game hitting 51 percent of their field goals.
MSU continues the road swing this week, travelling to Eastern Illinois Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. Eastern tip-off against the Panthers.
