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MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State men's basketball team shot 54 percent and turned 23 Cincinnati Christian turnovers into 26 points en route to an 87-51 season-opening victory at Johnson Arena Friday night.
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Twelve MSU players got into the scoring column, and the Eagles outscored the CCU Eagles 46-18 in the paint. Fifty-two of the 87 points came from the non-starters.
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"We have so much balance on this team, and that is what you are going to see night in and night out," said Head Coach
Sean Woods. Â "I can play a lot of guys and have confidence in everyone. We are still working on matchups and rotations, but everyone has something to give."
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Senior guard
Brent Arrington led the way with 14 points in 20 minutes of action, while junior transfer
Ronnye Beamon came off the bench for 12 points.
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Senior guard
Corban Collins contributed nine points, a team-best eight rebounds and six assists. Freshman guard
Malik Maitland handed out nine assists in his collegiate debut.
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"I think Malik is starting to find himself and define his role with nine assists and only two turnovers, and Corban was solid today," Woods added.
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Morehead State shot 56 percent (15-of-27) in the opening half and built a 43-27 cushion at the half before nailing 53 percent (16-of-30) from the field in the final half. The Eagles built as much as a 36-point lead late in the contest.
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D.J. McCommons hit a trio of treys and led all players with 15 points for CCU, which shot just 33 percent (16-of-48).
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The hosts held a 39-27 edge in rebounding with junior Dejuan Marrero grabbing five.
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"Dejuan has a motor that doesn't stop, but he didn't really get a fair shake tonight because of foul trouble. Some of these bigger teams are probably not going to double us down in the post, so he will be able to maneuver a bit more in the future."
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Morehead State hits the road for a Monday night matchup at Missouri Valley foe Illinois State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
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