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MOREHEAD, Ky. – Sophomore Drew Kelly and junior Milton Chavis combined for 31 points and 23 rebounds in just 38 total minutes to power the Morehead State men’s basketball team to a 100-48 victory over Asbury (Ky.) on Thursday evening at Johnson Arena.
Kelly, who became eligible last December after transferring from Miami University, finished with a game-best 17 points and 10 rebounds. Chavis, who recently transferred from Kilgore College, added his first MSU double-double with 14 points and a game-high 13 boards.
The Division I Eagles improve to 1-2 on the season, while the NAIA Eagles slip to 3-4 overall.
“I’m pleased with the win,” Morehead State Head Coach Donnie Tyndall said. “We hit the glass hard tonight and played good defense. Our press was better and our athleticism wore on Asbury.”
Kelly and Chavis led five MSU players in double figures. Senior Terrance Hill tallied 13 points in the win, while senior Ty Proffitt and sophomore Dionte Ferguson contributed 12 apiece.
Morehead State posted advantages of 55-36 in rebounds, 19-13 in assists, 52-12 in paint points, 42-9 in points off turnovers, 22-11 in fast break points and 53-13 in bench points.
MSU also recorded 24 steals on 30 AU turnovers, while allowing only five steals on 13 miscues.
“We did a nice job sharing and taking care of the basketball,” Tyndall said. “Our bench also gave us a big lift. I think we have a chance to be a pretty deep team as the season rolls along.”
Morehead State jumped out to a 10-point advantage seven minutes into the affair and never looked back. MSU started the second half with a 43-8 run, which opened up a commanding 57-point lead.
The home team collected 18 steals and forced 20 turnovers in the second half alone. It also knocked down 20-of-23 from the charity stripe after intermission.
MSU had 12 different players with a rebound, 12 different players with a steal and eight different individuals with an assist.
Sophomore Austin Flannery led Asbury with 11 points.
Morehead State is idle until Tuesday when it travels two hours east on I-64 to battle West Virginia in Charleston, W.Va. The game is slated for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised by the Big East Network.
“Tuesday will be another big test for us,” Tyndall added. “Coach (Bob) Huggins is a Hall of Fame coach and West Virginia is a strong Big East program. They will be big, long, physical and fast, much like North Carolina State. It will be a tough night if we don’t match their physicality, but I think we’ll be able to compete if we do.”
