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MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State men’s basketball team used a 16-0 second-half run to break open a close game and cruise to an 89-54 exhibition victory over St. Catharine (Ky.) on Wednesday night at Johnson Arena.
St. Catharine jumped out to a 17-7 advantage at the 13:37 mark of the first half, but Morehead State responded with a 33-17 spurt to close the opening 20 minutes.
Senior Terrance Hill and freshman Angelo Warner scored 10 points apiece in the first half for MSU, while senior Ty Proffitt and junior Milton Chavis tallied eight points each.
The first five minutes of the second half featured multiple lead changes. SCC trimmed the deficit to 49-48 with 12:26 to play, but the Eagles answered with a 40-6 run to finish the affair.
Morehead State forced 15 second-half turnovers, while committing just three. The Eagles also knocked down 50 percent (17-of-34) of their shots after halftime, while limiting the Patriots to 35 percent (9-for-26) from the floor.
Hill led the way with 17 points for the night, while Proffitt recorded 14. Warner and Chavis added 13 points apiece, while junior Kahlil Owens registered a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Junior Marsell Holden and senior Lamont Austin also chipped in with eight points apiece off the bench for the home team.
Morehead State handed out 18 assists on 33 field goals with just 10 turnovers. St. Catharine managed just nine assists on 22 buckets with 20 miscues.
The Eagles outscored the Patriots 30-11 in points off turnovers, 17-10 in second-chance points and 28-6 in bench points. There were seven lead changes overall and no ties.
Junior Stefan Pope and senior Brandon Johnson led a balanced St. Catharine attack with 12 points apiece. Pope also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds for the Patriots.
Morehead State, which won the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and upset Louisville in the NCAA Tournament, opens its regular-season slate on Sunday at Atlantic Coast Conference foe North Carolina State. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET and the game will be shown live on ESPN3.com.
