MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Following a four-game road swing, the Morehead State women's basketball team returns to Johnson Arena to host Tennessee State Saturday at 5:15 p.m. ET.
It's the first game a doubleheader with the Eagle men battling TSU in the nightcap. Saturday's game also marks the 25th anniversary celebration for the MSU cheerleading program's first national title. They now have 34 titles to their name.
Morehead State (7-13/3-3 OVC) is coming off a 70-64 road victory over Southeast Missouri Monday. Junior guard Terrice Robinson, who ranks third in the league in scoring, poured in a game-best 23 points. The Tigers (7-10/3-3 OVC), who are coached by long-time OVC head man Larry Joe Inman in his first season in Nashville, defeated winless Jacksonville State Wednesday 76-67. Inman is approaching 500 all-time victories at three league institutions, Middle Tennessee (1978-86), Eastern Kentucky (1988-2008) and now TSU.
The Eagles lead the series with the Tigers, 30-17, but TSU claimed the last meeting, an 86-80 overtime marathon in Nashville last season.
Ways to follow the game:
LIVE AUDIO (cpu) | LIVE AUDIO (mobile) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
The game will be webcast free of charge on the OVC Digital Network. It will also be broadcast on WIVY-96.3 FM in Morehead, MSUEagles.com (computers) and m.Morehead.EZStream.com (mobile devices) with Jason Blanton calling the action. The pre-game show begins 15 minutes prior to the scheduled tipoff time. Twitter updates are loaded throughout the game @MSUATHLETICS.
Releases and pre-game information:
MOREHEAD STATE (PDF) | TENNESSEE STATE (PDF) | OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE STATS (HTML)
Game notes heading into the contest:
Live by the Three
The Eagles hit 7.2 triples per game to rank second in the OVC. MSU averages 24.6 three-point attempts per game to rank second in the league behind only UT Martin.
One For the Record Books
Junior guard Terrice Robinson scored 30 points at EKU on Jan. 12, and sophomore guard Almesha Jones registered 30 against SIUE on Jan. 7. According to the MSU record book, it’s the first time in school history that different players have scored 30 points in back-to-back games.
That 70s Show
MSU is averaging 74 points per game in its three OVC wins, reaching the 70-point plateau all three times. In its three OVC losses, however, the Eagles have scored in the 50s, averaging just 55.3 per contest.
It’s a Second Half Thing
Sophomore Casey Ryans and junior Allie Turner combined to score 24 points, all in the second half, in the win at Southeast Missouri on Jan. 21. Ryans tied her career-high with 13, and Turner tossed in 11.
Miss Robinson
Terrice Robinson leads MSU and ranks third in the OVC in scoring at 17.6 points per game. She has reached double figures in 17 of the Eagles’ 20 games. Robinson has scored 20 or more points six times and 30 or more twice. She has led the team in the point column 14 times. In OVC games, Robinson averages 21.0 points.
The Big 400
Terrice Robinson is just 49 points shy of the 400-point plateau this season. Only 12 other players in the 41-year history of the program have ever registered 400 or more points in a season.
Keeping Up With the Jones
Sophomore guard Almesha Jones has been a jack-of-all-trades player for MSU this season. She ranks second in scoring (11.2) but leads MSU in assists (84) and steals (56). Jones is averaging nearly six assists per game in OVC play.
Dynamic Duo
Terrice Robinson and Almesha Jones combine for 52.2 percent of MSU’s total scoring per game, and that ranks as the second-best two-player combo in the OVC. Only UT Martin’s Heather Butler and Jasmine Newsome (60 percent of their team’s total) rank higher.
Casey Steps Up to Bat
Sophomore forward Casey Ryans has upped her production to 8.7 points and 7.3 rebounds against OVC competition. She had her first career double-double (11 pts, 10 rbs) against Eastern Kentucky.
Turning It Around
Junior Allie Turner has also picked up her game against league teams. She scores 6.8 points a game vs. the OVC and has double figures in three of the last four games.
