MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State's women's basketball program is set to begin its 43rd collegiate season Friday night at Illinois State in the first round of the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament. Game time is set for 8:05 ET at the Shirk Center on Illinois Wesleyan's campus.
The game location was changed due to the Illinois high school volleyball championship taking place at ISU's Redbird Arena. If MSU wins, it will move on to face either Iowa or Northern Illinois on Sunday. A loss drops the Eagles into the event's consolation round where the next opponent will be announced on Saturday afternoon.
Ways to follow the game:
LIVE AUDIO (CPU) | LIVE AUDIO (mobile) | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
Jason Blanton (play-by-play) will call the action on WIVY-96.3 FM (Morehead). The game can also be heard on MSUEagles.com. Pre-game shows generally begin 15 minutes prior to tipoff, and the post-game show, featuring Head Coach Tom Hodges, follows immediately after the game.
Releases and pre-game information:
MOREHEAD STATE | ILLINOIS STATE | PRESEASON WNIT | PRESEASON WNIT WEB SITE
Game notes heading into the contest:
Exhibition Recap
Sophomore guard Terrice Robinson led the Eagles with 15 points, but MSU fell 64-61 to Kentucky State in its lone exhibition game on Nov. 3. The Eagles made 10 of 35 three-pointers and shot 35 percent from the field overall. MSU was out-rebounded 50-31.
Season Openers
Morehead State has a 20-22 all-time record in season openers. MSU hasn’t won its season opener since 2005-06.
Youth is Served
Morehead State is one of the youngest women’s basketball teams in the country this season. The Eagle roster has no seniors, four freshmen, five sophomores and five juniors. Among the third-year players, three have seen significant playing time.
Just Couldn’t Catch a Break
The Eagles were 10-19 last year, but they lost four overtime games and six contests by five points or less.
Pick-Pockets
Morehead State led the Ohio Valley Conference in steals in 2011-12, swiping 277 from its opponents to average 9.6 per game.
Outside the Arc
The Eagles were among the top teams in the conference in three-pointers last year. MSU drained 220 three-balls and ranked second in the league with 7.6 per game.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
Sophomore guard Almesha Jones finished her first collegiate season on a strong note, averaging 11.2 points in her final 11 outings. That performance came after netting only 37 points in her first 18 games.
Mrs. Robinson
Terrice Robinson led the Eagles in the exhibition game with 15 points. The 5-6 native of Ft. Pierce, Fla., scored 31 points in her final two games last season.
It’s Howe She Rolls
Freshman guard Kailee Howe had a solid debut in the Eagles’ exhibition game against Kentucky State. She nailed a trio of three-pointers and scored 11 points. Howe also registered a team-best six rebounds and tallied four assists.
