HTML STATS | PDF STATS | ARCHIVED WEBCAST | ARCHIVED BROADCASTCOOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Junior Brent Arrington tied his career high with 24 points on 13-of-14 from the free-throw line, and the Morehead State men's basketball team registered a 78-74 Ohio Valley Conference win over Tennessee Tech on Thursday evening at the Eblen Center.
The Eagles improve to 8-13 overall, 3-3 in league play and 4-7 on the road. The Golden Eagles, who have dropped six of their last seven contests, fall to 9-11 overall, 1-6 in conference action and 7-3 at home. MSU also moves to 79-64 in the all-time series against Tennessee Tech.
"I'm proud of our young men tonight," Head Coach Sean Woods said. "It's always great to get a conference win on the road. This may not have been the prettiest victory we've had, but our guys fought hard, stuck to the script and played well when the game was on the line."
Arrington, in his 55th game at Morehead State, recorded career highs for rebounds (8), free-throws made and free-throw attempts. He also picked up four steals and drilled 5-of-11 from the field in 39 minutes.
Four Morehead State players reached double figures in scoring. Sophomore Corban Collins contributed 15 points, while seniors Karam Mashour and Angelo Warner tossed in 14 apiece. Collins knocked down 7-of-7 from the foul line, while Mashour made 6-of-7 from the field.
"We had good balance tonight, and we certainly need that moving forward," Woods said. "If we can get four guys in double figures on a consistent basis, we can be pretty good. I've been waiting on that all year."
The Eagles notched scoring advantages of 40-24 in the paint and 25-10 on second-chance opportunities. Morehead State posted a 31-25 rebounding edge, including 16-12 on the offensive end, despite playing stretches with four and five guards. All eight MSU players grabbed at least one board.
"We knew Tennessee Tech was a good rebounding team, so the plan was for everyone to go to the boards," Woods said. "We played four and five guards at times tonight, and I thought that created some mismatches that we took advantage of. Our guard play was solid most of the game."
Morehead State made 46 percent (24-of-52) from the floor and 87 percent (27-of-31) from the charity stripe. Tennessee Tech connected on 50 percent (25-of-50) from the field and 76 percent (19-of-25) from the free-throw line. The teams combined on 36 charity tosses in the first half alone.
Senior Jordan Johnson led Tennessee Tech with 19 points, while junior Charles Jackson added 18. Jackson paced TTU with five rebounds, while freshman Aleksa Jugovic contributed four assists.
The game featured seven ties and 17 lead changes. Tennessee Tech opened up an 11-point lead with 6:02 to play in the first half, but Morehead State responded with a 16-5 run to knot the affair with 1:24 remaining before intermission. TTU led for nearly 27 minutes on the evening.
MSU continues league play on Saturday at Jacksonville State. Tip-off from Mathews Coliseum is set for 5:30 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live and free of charge on the OVC Digital Network. Chuck Mraz and Jason Blanton will also have the radio call on the Eagle Sports Network.
"Jacksonville State just beat a pretty good Eastern Kentucky team, so Saturday will be another challenge for us," Woods added. "It will come down to how hard we play and how well we execute. Games are never easy on the road. We just need to dig deep and find a way to get it done."
