HTML STATS | PDF STATS | ARCHIVED BROADCAST
MURRAY, Ky. -- The Murray State women's basketball team connected on 53 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free-throw line en route to an 84-81 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Morehead State on Monday evening at the CFSB Center.
The Racers, who notch just their third win in the past 12 games, improve to 11-16 overall, 4-11 in league play and 8-5 at home. The Eagles, who have also dropped nine of their last 12, slip to 11-16 overall, 5-9 in conference action and 7-8 on the road.
Murray State drilled 26-of-49 overall, 7-of-14 from three-point range and 25-of-29 from the foul line. Morehead State made 43 percent (30-of-70) overall, 48 percent (13-of-27) from beyond the arc and just 53 percent (8-of-15) from the charity stripe.
"We did some nice things in the second half, but just didn't have enough to get over the hump," Head Coach Tom Hodges said. "I thought we played pretty hard tonight, but missed too many lay-ups and free throws to get an OVC win on the road."
Murray State used a 16-2 run early in the first half to grab a 21-9 advantage with 12:10 before intermission. Morehead State trimmed the deficit to 33-28 with 3:55 to play in the opening period, but the Racers pushed the lead back to nine at the break.
The Eagles clawed back with a 24-7 run midway through the second half to take a 69-66 lead with 6:05 to play, but Murray State answered with a 13-3 surge over the next four minutes to take back the advantage and hang on for the three-point win on Senior Night.
Morehead State junior guard Almesha Jones tied her career high with 31 points, established a career best with eight steals and was also credited with nine assists. She canned 11-of-23 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point land and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Jones, who has reached the 10-point plateau in 11 consecutive games, now owns 41 double-figure scoring efforts and four 30-point performances at Morehead State. She is up to 158 assists this year, which ranks fourth at MSU and is the most since the 1984-85 season.
"Almesha put together an outstanding individual performance tonight, but I'm certain she would trade it in for a team victory," Hodges said. "She almost single-handedly brought us back during that second-half run. I applauded her effort and tenacity after the game."
Junior forward Mackenzie Arledge, who managed 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, was the only other Eagle in double figures. Morehead State posted advantages of 15-6 in assists, 15-4 in steals, 12-2 in fast-break points and 24-14 in points off turnovers.
Freshman guard Nikia Edom, who made 5-of-6 from the floor and all four of her free-throw attempts, paced five Racers in double figures with 17 points. Murray State registered a 40-31 rebounding edge, including 32-18 on the defensive end, to overcome 19 turnovers.
Morehead State, which has drilled 205-of-657 (.312) from long distance this season, has now canned at least 200 three-pointers in six straight seasons.
The Eagles wrap up regular-season action with home contests on Thursday against Tennessee State and Saturday versus Tennessee Tech. Both games are set to begin at 5:15 p.m. ET and open doubleheaders with the MSU men. Saturday is also Senior Night.
"This one is hard to explain," Hodges added. "We had a great opportunity tonight and didn't the bottom line is we didn't capitalize. There's no time to dwell on this loss."
