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MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State men’s basketball team forced 24 turnovers and connected on its final 13 free-throw attempts in a 62-54 win over Ball State on Friday night at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles, who played in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, improve to 6-7 overall. The Cardinals, who were picked to win the Mid-American Conference’s West Division this year, slip to 6-4 on the season.
“Our energy was really good tonight,” Morehead State Head Coach Donnie Tyndall said. “We defended, we rebounded and our press forced 24 Ball State turnovers.”
Morehead State forced 15 miscues and held Ball State to 33 percent (7-of-21) from the floor in the first half. The Cardinals jumped out to a 6-0 advantage, but the Eagles finished the opening stanza on a 28-16 run to take a six-point lead into the locker room.
MSU pushed the advantage to a game-high 12 points at 14:27 of the second half. Ball State cut the deficit to 45-44 with 5:26 left, but the Eagles drilled 75 percent (15-of-20) from the charity stripe after halftime to secure the victory.
“Our team has certainly improved on the practice floor the past few weeks and that’s carried over to our last two victories,” Tyndall said. “Our guys are starting to buy into the team concept and that’s helping with our success.”
Senior Terrance Hill registered a team-best 12 points for Morehead State, while classmate Ty Proffitt added 11. Juniors Kahlil Owens and Milton Chavis contributed nine rebounds apiece, while senior Lamont Austin handed out four assists.
Sophomore Tyrae Robinson recorded a game-high 14 points off the bench for Ball State, while senior Jarrod Jones pulled down six rebounds and senior Randy Davis dished out five assists.
Morehead State tallied a 34-25 rebounding advantage. The Eagles also posted an 18-8 edge on the offensive glass, which led to an 18-7 upper hand in second-chance points.
Ball State drilled 59 percent (10-of-17) from the floor in the second half to finish at 45 percent (17-of-38) for the game. Morehead State made 48 percent (11-of-23) from the field in the first half en route to 39 percent (19-of-49) for the evening.
Morehead State opens Ohio Valley Conference action on Wednesday at Southeast Missouri. Tip-off from the Show Me Center is set for approximately 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will follow an MSU vs. SEMO women’s game at 6 p.m.
“We always break our season into thirds -- non-conference, conference and postseason,” Tyndall added. “We’re moving into that second portion of the year and it’s a fresh start for everyone. Southeast Missouri is a very talented team and Wednesday will be a big test for us on the road.”
