Eagles host EKU on Thursday, look for season sweep

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MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State men's basketball team returns home to host Eastern Kentucky on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air live on CBS Sports Network. 

The Eagles enter the contest at 12-11 overall and 6-5 in the OVC. They have lost two straight, following a 73-67 loss at Belmont on Thursday and a 77-76 defeat at Tennessee State on Saturday. They have lost two straight games for just the third time this season. Their previous losing streaks of two games or more both came during a December stretch that saw the Eagles lose six of seven games.

They have only lost three straight once this season and that was a four-game losing streak from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2.

All of Morehead State's OVC losses have been by six or fewer points and their average margin of defeat in the OVC is 3.6 points. Just two of their 11 losses this season have been by more than six points (at IU, at Pitt). Their wins are by an average of 13.4 points, while their losses have been by an average of 6.8 points.

The Eagles are allowing 67.4 points per game, which ranks first in the OVC and just outside the top 50 in the country. After allowing 46 points in wins over Southern Miss, 61-46, and Saint Louis, 60-46, the Eagles were tied with Louisville for the nation's best scoring defense. In their 12 wins, they are allowing 59.3 points per game. They have allowed 76.3 points in their 11 losses.

Johnson Arena has been good to the Eagles as they are 8-2 at home, compared to 4-9 on the road. They are averaging 75.5 points, while giving up just 63.2 at home. On the road, they are scoring 67.8 per game, while allowing 70.7.

They are outrebounding opponents by 9.1 at home and 1.2 on the road.

After scoring in double digits just three times through his first 16 games, junior guard Xavier Moon has 14 or more points in six of his last seven games. He is averaging 16.4 points in those seven games, while shooting 54 percent overall. He is shooting 15-of-32 from deep during that span.

Moon scored a career-high 24 points in the win over TTU and followed that with a team-high 22 against JSU. He ranks second on the team with 10.6 points per game and 31 made three-pointers. He is shooting 44.3 percent from deep, which ranks third in the OVC.

The Colonels are 14-12 overall and 5-6 in the OVC. They've won two straight following their loss to MSU, both on the road, at TSU and at Belmont.

The Colonels rank first in the OVC in scoring with 82.0 points per game and are also the league's best shooting team, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 39 percent from three-point range. In the last contest, Morehead State limited EKU to 1-of-17 shooting from deep.

EKU is led by senior forward Jarelle Reischel, who ranks first in the OVC with 19.0 points per game, and leads the team with 7.0 rebounds, 34 made threes, and 46 steals.

Eastern Kentucky owns a 108-77 all-time advantage against Morehead State. EKU swept the season series a year ago and Morehead State is looking to return the favor this season after winning 70-67 at EKU on Jan. 30. MSU has not swept EKU since 2011-12.

The game will air on the CBS Sports Network with John Sadak and Marc Jackson on the call. It will also 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.