MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State men's basketball team continues Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday when it welcomes Tennessee State to Johnson Arena. Tip-off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. ET.
The contest will follow a Morehead State vs. Tennessee women's basketball game, which begins at 5:15 p.m. Fans can catch both ends of the home doubleheader for just $8 and tickets will be available at the door.
The Eagle men are 10-11 overall, 4-3 in the OVC and 7-3 at home. The Tiger men are 12-9 on the season, 6-2 in league play and 3-8 on the road. MSU owns a 30-28 advantage in the all-time series vs. TSU.
Despite leading for more than 36 minutes, Morehead State is coming off a 64-63 loss to Belmont in its last game on Thursday. Tennessee State dropped a 76-67 decision the same night at Eastern Kentucky.
Ways to follow the game:
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO (CPU) | LIVE AUDIO (mobile) | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
The game will be webcast free of charge on OVCDigitalNetwork.com. It will also be broadcast on WIVY-96.3 FM in Morehead, MSUEagles.com (computers) and m.Morehead.EZStream.com (mobile devices). Chuck Mraz will call the play-by-play, while Jason Blanton provides analysis.
Releases and pre-game information:
MOREHEAD STATE | TENNESSEE STATE | OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE
Ten notes heading into the contest:
THE LAST TIME OUT
Morehead State led for more than 36 minutes on Thursday night at Johnson Arena, but Belmont used an 11-2 game-ending run to escape with a 64-63 win. The Eagles slipped to 10-11 overall, 4-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 7-3 at home.
LETTING IT SLIP AWAY LATE
Belmont’s only lead was at 2-0 until the 1:13 mark of the second half. That’s when J.J. Mann drilled a three to give the Bruins a one-point advantage. Morehead State missed its final two shots of the evening, and the visitors hung on for the victory.
HEARTBREAK CITY
Two of Morehead State’s last three losses have come by less than five points. The Eagles went to overtime at Austin Peay before dropping an 84-81 decision. MSU then suffered a 64-63 setback to Belmont on a three by the Bruins with 1:13 remaining.
GOING TO THE GLASS
Morehead State posted a 36-21 rebounding advantage against Belmont, including an 11-3 edge on the offensive glass. Over the past eight contests, the Eagles are +96 in total rebounds, +55 in offensive boards and +55 in second-chance points.
TALKING ABOUT TEAM RANKINGS
Morehead State ranks in the Ohio Valley Conference’s top three for steals (1st, 10.0), rebounds (1st, 37.9), offensive rebounds (1st, 14.4), rebounding margin (1st, +5.4) and assists (3rd, 14.9). The Eagles also place second in total attendance average (4,421).
SUCCESS AT JOHNSON ARENA
Morehead State has won 84 percent (57-11) of its games at Johnson Arena over the past five seasons, including 89 percent (34-4) in Ohio Valley Conference play.
ANALYZING HOME vs. ROAD
Morehead State averages 75.8 points and is +9.6 in rebounds in 10 games (7-3) at Johnson Arena. The Eagles average just 66.9 points and are +1.6 on the boards in 11 contests (3-8) away from the friendly confines.
A REALLY STRONG BENCH
Morehead State has tallied a 623 (29.7 pg) to 323 (15.4 pg) advantage in bench points this year. The Eagle reserves have also outscored their foes in 18 of 21 games.
TURNER IS PICKING IT UP
Junior Bakari Turner has posted double-figure scoring efforts in each of the past five tilts. He has averaged 14.0 points on 45 percent from the field during the stretch after averaging just 5.1 on 31 percent over his first 16 games this season.
A REBOUNDING MACHINE
Junior Chad Posthumus is averaging 4.6 offensive rebounds and 10.0 total boards in seven Ohio Valley Conference affairs this season. He has recorded 10+ caroms on four occasions.
