Eagles welcome in Austin Peay for Coaches vs. Cancer Game

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MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State men's basketball team looks to get back on the winning track when they host Austin Peay on Wednesday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 7:45 p.m. ET and the game will be a part of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week.

The Eagles enter the contest at 10-9 overall and 4-3 in the OVC after falling to Jacksonville State at home on Sunday, 81-74.

In the loss to the Gamecocks, MSU played without 40 percent of their starting lineup as sophomore guard Miguel Dicent missed his fifth straight game and junior guard Corban Collins missed the game, as well. Junior guard Xavier Moon and freshman guard Malik Maitland stepped up in their absence, but it wasn't enough to get the win.

Moon was named OVC Newcomer of the Week for his performances last week. He scored a career-high 24 points in the win over TTU and followed that with a team-high 22 against JSU. He had 17 second half points against TTU, which followed a 17-point first half performance at EIU.

He ranks second on the team with 10.1 points per game and 25 made three-pointers. After scoring in double digits just three times through his first 16 games, he has 17 or more points in his last three contests. He averaged 21.0 points in those three games, while shooting 66 percent overall. He has shot 9-of-16 from deep during that span.

After failing to score in double figures in the first 15 games, freshman guard Malik Maitland has scored in double figures in three of his last four. In those four games, he is averaging 9.8 points and 4.3 assists, while shooting 6-of-11 from deep and 13-of-15 from the charity stripe. He played a career-high 29 minutes, tied a career-high with 11 points, and notched eight assists in the game against Jax State.

Despite the loss against Jax State, the Eagles controlled the inside. They won the rebounding battle, 34-23, outscored JSU in the paint, 34-10, and had 17 second chance points to the Gamecocks' six.

The Eagles have a +5.1 rebounding advantage on the season, which ranks first in the OVC. 40 percent of their rebounds are of the offensive variety, good for 14.8 per game, which ranks first in the OVC and ninth in the country. MSU is giving up just 32.1 defensive rebounds per game, which leads the OVC. They are averaging 14.1 second chance points per game.

In 10 of 19 games, they have outrebounded their opponent by six or more rebounds and they are 7-3 in those games. The Eagles are 0-5 when being outrebounded.

On the season, the Eagles are outscoring their opponents in the paint, 588-481. MSU is 1-5 when being outscored in the paint.

The Eagles rank second in the OVC, shooting 39.3 percent from three-point range. They have the fewest attempts, 303, in the league and rank ninth with 119 made threes. Collins leads MSU with 36 made three-pointers and is shooting 42.4 percent from deep, which ranks sixth in the OVC.

The Govs are 9-13 overall and 2-5 in league play. They rank sixth in the league in RPI at 219. Their OVC wins are at home against Jacksonville State, 73-54, and SIUE, 90-86, in overtime. Their lone common non-conference opponent with MSU is Indiana and they lost 102-76 in Bloomington.

They are led by senior big man Chris Horton, who ranks first in the OVC with 12.6 rebounds and second with 18.4 points. He also leads the league with 2.0 blocked shots and 5.3 offensive rebounds per game.

Morehead State owns a 54-51 advantage in the all-time series against Austin Peay. They have won two straight games and six of the last seven overall. Last season, the Eagles downed the Governors, 82-69, at Austin Peay. Senior guard Brent Arrington finished the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

The game will 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.

Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week is a nationwide event when basketball coaches across the country unite for a common cause - saving lives from cancer!

Coaches and their staffs across the nation wear sneakers with their suits during games to:

Raise awareness about the fight against cancer.
Share the importance of nutrition and physical activity in reducing one's risk of the disease.
Encourage people to educate themselves about cancer screenings and early detection.
Promote the American Cancer Society as a place for people facing cancer to turn for free information, help, and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For more information, visit coachesvscancer.org.