Women's Hoops rides fourth quarter surge to win over TTU

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MOREHEAD, Ky.— Freshman guard Miranda Crockett scored a team-high 16 points and recorded a crucial block on a three-point attempt in the closing moments for Morehead State women's basketball in a 75-71 win against Tennessee Tech on Wednesday night at Johnson Arena.
 
MSU (9-13, 3-5) rode the momentum of a fourth quarter surge, holding TTU scoreless for over four minutes, sparking a 9-0 run. The stretch put the home squad up 67-66 on a jumper by junior guard Brianna McQueen with 1:46 left to play in regulation. Senior guard Natalie Greenwell added two free throws bringing the MSU lead to 69-66. TTU's senior forward Candice Parsons hit a bucket in the paint bringing the contest back within one, but McQueen hit four straight free throws in the final 20 seconds, sealing the comeback victory for the Eagles.
 
"We played so hard in the fourth quarter and never gave up, that's the personality that we enjoy seeing from our team," said Head Coach Greg Todd. "This was a very hot Tennessee Tech team and we were very pleased with our overall effort."
 
TTU (7-15, 3-6) lost for the first time in three games and has now lost four in a row to MSU. Senior guard Samaria Howard, the second leading scorer in the OVC, scored a game-high 25 points and snatched five rebounds.
 
As a team, MSU outscored TTU at the free throw line 26-to-9, hitting 81 percent from the charity stripe. The rebounding margin favored MSU as they wiped the glass smug free with 52 boards compared to TTU's 40. As a team MSU swatted 11 shots, giving them 153 blocks on the season, which ranks first in the nation.
 
Junior forward Shay Steele finished the night with 13 points, eight rebounds, and hit 7-of-8 from the line. McQueen started out slow, but erupted in the fourth quarter, scoring nine of her 11 points in the final stanza. She added a team-high six assists and shot 4-of-4 from the line.

Bench production played a role as junior guard Aaliyah Wells and sophomore forward Brooke Todd combined for 11 points and Todd recorded a season-high five blocks.
 
Up next for MSU is a road contest against rival Eastern Kentucky on Saturday evening. A year ago the two squads split the season series. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. ET and will be the first game of a double-header.