Women's Hoops aims for season sweep of Tennessee Tech

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MOREHEAD, Ky.— Four games remain for Morehead State women's basketball, and the first will tipoff at 7 p.m. ET against Tennessee Tech on Wednesday night at the Eblen Center.
 
The Eagles (9-17, 3-9 OVC) enter the affair in the bottom tier of the OVC standings and fighting for a postseason spot. Four of the last five games have gone the way of the Eagles' opponents, with the last victory coming at Johnson Arena against Tennessee Tech, 75-71, on Jan. 27. Freshman guard Miranda Crockett led the attack for the Eagles with 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and only one turnover.
 
As a team the Eagles out worked Tennessee Tech for 25 offensive rebounds, resulting in 20 second-chance points. The defensive pressure resulted in 17 TTU turnovers, and 16 points off turnovers for Morehead State.
 
Tennessee Tech (9-17, 5-8) has won back-to-back games, including a recent 51-49 overtime victory over Jacksonville State. Senior guard Samaria Howard played a vital role in the win against the Gamecocks, scoring a game-high 25 points and hitting 10-of-13 free throws. Howard averages 20.7 points per game and has scored over 20 points in seven of the last eight games.
 
The contest will be available on the OVC Digital Network. It will also broadcast on the Eagle Sports Radio Network with 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.
 
LEADING THE OVC
The Eagles lead the OVC in nine statistical categories, including blocks (170), blocked shots per game (6.5), offensive rebounds per game (17), rebounds (1,182), rebounds per game (45.4), scoring offense (81.0), steals (267), steals per game (10.3), and turnovers forced (19.6).
 
LAST TIME OUT VS. TECH
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 Jan. 27 at Johnson Arena. MSU 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.
 
STEELE PUTTING UP POINTS
In nine of 26 games forward Shay Steele has led the team in scoring, which leads the team. Eriel McKee has led the Eagles in scoring six times.
 
PREPARE FOR THE BLOCK PARTY
The Eagles rank first in the nation with 170 blocks and fifth in blocked shots per game with 6.5. Forwards junior Shay Steele and sophomore Brooke Todd are both tied at 43^rd nationally and sit atop the OVC in blocked shots with 51. MSU tied a school record and an OVC record with 16 blocks in the win over Mount St. Joseph on Nov. 23.
 
CROCKETT KEEPS COLLECTING OVC WEEKLY HONORS
Freshman guard Miranda Crockett has caught the attention of the OVC, as she has been awarded OVC Freshman of the Week on six different occasions, including as recent as the week of Feb 2.  Crockett leads the team in assists (105) and minutes played (827), and is second in rebounding (169) and fourth in points per game (13.1).
 
RACKING UP THE POINTS
MSU's averages 81 points per game, which ranks seventh in the nation and first in the OVC.  MSU has reached the century scoring mark four times and they are 3-1 in those games.
 
CLAIMING THE BOARDS
The Eagles rank fourth in the country with 1,182 rebounds and sixth in rebounds per game with 45.4. MSU is also averaging 17 offensive rebounds per game, making them the eighth best offensive rebounding team in the nation.
 
SECOND-CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES
Thirty-seven percent of the Eagles' rebounds are of the offensive variety, and they average 16.5 second-chance points per game.
 
PAINT THE INSIDE BLUE AND GOLD
On average, the Eagles are scoring 38.2 points per game in the paint, and their opponents are averaging 35.2 per game.
 
GET EVERYONE INVOLVED
The MSU bench has been productive throughout the year, averaging 17.8 points per game.
 
MCKEE AND THE EAGLES SWIPING THE BALL AWAY
MSU ranks 15th nationally with 267 steals and is 28th in steals per game with 10.3. Eriel McKee is 13th in the nation with 72 steals and ranks 24th with 2.7 steals per game.
 
TEAMMATES FINDING TEAMMATES
MSU has dished out 402 assists, which ranks 32nd in the country. The Eagles have accumulated 10 or more assists in 23 of 26 games and have surpassed 20 assists in five games.
 
FORCING MISTAKES
With 19.6 forced turnovers per game, the Eagles rank 30th in the nation. In 12 contests, the Eagles have forced 20 or more turnovers.