Eagles look to make it four straight on the road at EIU

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MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State men's basketball team looks to make it four straight wins when they travel to Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 4:15 p.m. ET.

After falling below .500 at 6-7 for the first time all season, the Eagles have won three straight to get back over .500 at 9-7. It marks the second time this season they have won at least three straight. They won four straight from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2 - at NKU, vs. Marshall, vs. Southern Miss, at St. Louis.

Last year, they won three straight twice, including a five-game streak at the end of the season.

On Thursday night at SIUE, the Eagles won their first overtime game of the season, 70-67. They trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, but rallied and won in overtime. Last year, the Eagles played in two overtime games, going 0-2 in losses at home against Oakland and at UT Martin. Their last overtime win was on Feb. 19, 2014 versus Austin Peay. They downed the Governors, 90-88, in double OT. Brent Arrington was the only active player to participate in that game and he had 14 points in 18 minutes.

Senior forward Anthony Elechi had a career-high 18 points in the win, all of which came in the second half and overtime. He scored the Eagles first six points in OT.

After failing to score double digits in his first nine games, Elechi has scored in double digits in five of his last seven games and has set a new career high in points on three different occasions. He is shooting 62 percent on the season. He shot a combined 3-of-11 at Illinois State and at NKU, but is shooting 46-of-69, good for 67 percent, in the 13 games since.

He is averaging 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 17.2 minutes. His plus/minus of +131 is the best on the team.

Freshmen Lamontray Harris and Malik Maitland both played key roles in the overtime win over SIUE. Harris scored a career-high 12 points, all in the first half, and has now set career highs in points in three straight games. Matiland played down the stretch and knocked down several crucial free throws to help seal the win. He finished with 11 points, two assists, and was 6-of-7 from the stripe.

The Panthers are 5-12 on the year and 2-3 in OVC play. They have four common opponents with MSU - at Indiana (L, 88-49), vs. Green Bay (L, 81-72), vs. Northern Kentucky (W, 79-73 OT), at Marshall (L, 82-76). Their two wins in OVC play are at Jax State, 75-64, and at home versus EKU, 97-85. Their RPI is 265, which ranks 10th in the OVC.

They are led by senior forward Trae Anderson, who averages a team-high 14.2 points and 4.8 rebounds.

Morehead State trails in the all-time series, 23-13. The Eagles had won five straight over the Panthers entering last season, but fell at Johnson Arena, 65-62. Arrington had 16 points and Corban Collins recorded 12 points in the loss. EIU and Morehead State first met in 1982 as the Eagles won, 79-77.

The contest will air live on the OVC Digital Network. It will also be broadcast on the Eagle Sports Radio Network with Chuck Mraz and Jason Blanton calling all of the action. The radio network includes WIVY-96.3 FM and several affiliates throughout eastern Kentucky. A live audio stream can be found on MSUEagles.com and the Eagle Empire app.