BOX SCORE (HTML) | BOX SCORE (PDF)
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Morehead State’s women’s basketball team committed a season high 26 turnovers and shot just 25 percent as the Eagles fell 68-57 at East Tennessee State Tuesday night at the MSHA Athletic Center.
The Eagles dropped to 3-9 on the year, while the Lady Bucs won their first game of the year to improve to 1-10. The Eagles erased a 12-point second half deficit to tie the game at 48, but four straight possessions came up empty, and the Lady Bucs finished the game on a 20-9 run.
“It was exactly what we knew it was going to be. We knew they were going to have a lot of broken plays and really be all over the court,” said MSU head Coach Tom Hodges. “I was really proud of the fact that we did come back and tie the game, but we just couldn’t get over the hump. We just didn’t make enough plays. When we have 26 mistakes, we’re not going to win a lot of games. We didn’t get all five players on the floor on the same page tonight.”
Junior forward Ashar Harris recorded her fifth double-double of the year with a season-high 22 points and 18 rebounds. She was 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Harris moved to eighth on the MSU career rebounding list now with 812. Senior guard Linda Dixon also collected her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“Ashar played really well, probably her best overall game,” said Hodges.
ETSU turned the 26 Eagle floor miscues into 28 points. On the flip side, the Eagles did force 21 Lady Buc turnovers, but MSU was only able to turn those steals into eight points. MSU out-rebounded the hosts 50-46, recording a season-high for team boards.
After falling behind 48-36 with 12 minutes left in the game, MSU went on a 12-0 run, capped by two Harris free throws, to tie the contest at 48. But the Eagles only hit two field goals in the next five minute-span as ETSU raced back out to a 59-50 lead.
In the first half, MSU fell behind 9-3 in the first four minutes, but a pair of triples by senior guard Courtney Lumpkin and Dixon got the visitor’s back in the flow. The Lady Bucs proceeded to build their lead back out to as much as 10 (20-10) with 9:34 left, but an 8-0 run, capped by a Harris fast break layup, erased ETSU’s hopes of a first-half runaway. MSU doubled up the hosts 18-9 in the final nine minutes and went to the locker room only behind 29-28.
The Eagles shot only 25 percent in the opening half and had nine turnovers. Harris registered 12 points and nine boards in the first 20-minute period.
The Lady Bucs were led by Maria Bond with 14 points. Destiny Mitchell tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. ETSU finished the game shooting 37 percent.
The Eagles open the Ohio Valley Conference schedule on Dec. 28 at Southeast Missouri. Tipoff time in the Show Me Center is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
