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MOREHEAD, Ky. – The battle for early supremacy in the Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball race turned out to be a little easier for Morehead State than they probably anticipated.
MSU opened the game on a 15-3 run in the first six minutes and then put it on cruise control as they dismantled the visiting first place Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, 78-53, Thursday in Johnson Arena. MSU won its third straight over Tech and the sixth in the last seven meetings.
MSU improved to 11-4 overall and 4-1 in the league with its OVC mark good enough to catapult the Eagles back into first place. Tech, meanwhile, fell to 9-4 and suffered its first OVC setback after starting the year 3-0.
Five players reached double figures for the host Eagles. Chynna Bozeman led the contingent with 18 points, while she also swiped six steals. Ashar Harris and Courtney Lumpkin had 14, while Linda Dixon tallied 12. Allie Turner made her third career start and responded with 10 points. Terrice Robinson scored a career high five as she played a career high 15 minutes while Lumpkin was sidelined with foul trouble.
Tech got 15 points from center Brittany Darling, but she was the lone TTU player in double figures. MSU limited the league’s third-leading scorer, Taccarra Hayes, to just six points.
The Eagles shot 48 percent for the game and forced 24 turnovers while coming up with 13 steals. They also edged Tech in the rebounding column 34-33. MSU is now 8-1 when out-rebounding its opponent.
Tech was limited to just a 37 percent shooting efficiency.
After the opening six-minute 15-3 flurry, things didn’t get any better for the visiting Golden Eagles in the next seven-minute span. The Eagles outscored the TTU squad 11-2 to build the margin out to 26-5 with 7:15 left in the opening half.
The Eagles finished the first half shooting 56 percent and led 42-18. Bozeman and Harris each topped the first-half scoring barrage with 12 points, while Lumpkin had 10 points.
MSU never led by less than 20 points in the final half and built its largest margin of 28 on three occasions.
The Eagles will host Jacksonville State on Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
