MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State women's basketball program will look to do something Saturday it has only accomplished against one other Ohio Valley Conference school in the previous three years - sweep a season series. The Eagles head to Nashville to face Belmont at 5 p.m. ET.
Morehead State (11-13, 7-4 OVC) claimed the first meeting this year just more than a week ago in Morehead, 66-55. It marked MSU's first win over the Bruin program since 1998. Belmont (10-15, 7-5) has won two straight league road games after falling to MSU. Morehead State has only swept Jacksonville State in the three years prior to the present.
The Eagles are currently in fourth place in the OVC with five games remaining. The top eight teams advance to the conference tournament. MSU returns home next week to host Tennessee Tech for its "Think Pink" game on Wednesday night at 6 p.m.
Ways to follow the game:LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE AUDIO (mobile) | LIVE STATS | TWITTERAll Morehead State contests are broadcast on the Eagle Sports Radio Network with Jason Blanton calling the action. The game can be heard on the airwaves on the flagship station, WIVY-96.3 FM in Morehead. Audio will also be available on MSUEagles.com (computers), m.Morehead.EZStream.com (mobile devices) and the Eagle Empire app. Live stats and live video links are also available right here on MSUEagles.com (the game will be live on the OVC Digital Network), and periodic updates will also be on Twitter and Facebook.
Releases and pre-game information:MOREHEAD STATE (PDF) | BELMONT | OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCEGame notes heading into the contest:
Records Are Made to Be Broken
• Senior guard Almesha Jones set the Morehead State career assist record on Jan. 24 at Jacksonville State. She broke Irene (Moore) Strong's mark of 499, held since 1982.
• Jones now ranks ninth in OVC history with 537 assists.
• Jones set the MSU single-season assist record on Feb. 7 against Tennessee State. She now has 194 assists this season.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
• Almesha Jones is the 22nd member of Morehead State's 1,000-point club. She now has 1,334 points in 111 career games and is ranked 14th in scoring at MSU. In the last seven games, Jones averaged 22.4 points and 8.1 assists per outing.
• Jones ranks second in the nation in total assists (194) and second in assists per game (8.1). She has seven double-digit assist games.
• Jones was recently named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List, honoring the nation's top Division I point guard.
Fabulous Freshman Season
• Freshman forward Eriel McKee has scored in double figures in 17 of the 21 collegiate games she's appeared in.
• McKee leads the conference in rebounding (9.7) in contests against other league opponents. She ranks third in rebounding in all games (9.2).
• She boasts the highest scoring average (12.3) for an MSU freshman since the program's all-time leading scorer, Chynna Bozeman, scored 12.3 per contest in 2007-08.
Steele The One
• Shay Steele leads the OVC in blocked shots (46). She is now eighth in career blocks (73) at Morehead State.
• Steele has five 20-point games this year.
• She has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 13 games.
• Steele registered a career-best 25 points against Tennessee State in her last time on the court.
We Take the Free Ones
• Morehead State ranks second in the OVC in free throw accuracy, nailing 73.6 percent.
• This year's percentage is currently just one-tenth shy the single-season record set in 2001-02.
• In the last four games, MSU has drilled 86 percent (80-of-93) at the line, while opponents have only been to the line 52 times and shot 65 percent.
