Women's Hoops wraps up Volunteer State trip with TSU

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MOREHEAD, Ky.— The Morehead State women's basketball team will wrap-up its three-game road trip with a Saturday night affair at Tennessee State with a 6:30 p.m. ET tipoff at the Gentry Center.
 
The Eagles (9-15, 3-7 OVC) are coming off back-to-back losses at Eastern Kentucky and Belmont. The 99-71 loss to Belmont was the largest margin of defeat to an OVC opponent this year. Freshman forward Georgia Campbell came off the bench against the Bruins, playing 18 minutes, and accumulating career highs in points (12) and rebounds (6).
 
The Tigers (9-14, 4-6) have lost five straight and are just one spot ahead of MSU in the OVC standings in eighth place. During the five-game losing streak, only one has been decided by less than 10 points - the most recent loss. The Tigers had a 10 game home win streak snapped by EKU, despite a double-digit rally in the fourth quarter. Junior forward Jayda Johnson finished with a double-double in the 70-66 loss, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. She currently leads the Tigers with 15.1 points per game.

The contest between the Eagles and the Tigers  will be available online 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 AS A TEAM
The Eagles lead the OVC in 10 team stat categories, including assists, blocks, blocked shots per game, offensive rebounds per game, rebounds, rebounds per game, scoring offense, steals, steals per game, and turnovers forced.
 
WIN AND GET ENGAGED
On Jan. 25th against Jacksonville State, senior guard Natalie Greenwell scored 19 points and hit a pair of crucial free throws down the stretch to give the Eagles the 67-63 victory. As soon as the game ended, her boyfriend and former MSU baseball player Kane Sweeney dropped to one knee to ask for her hand in marriage in front of her teammates and fans. Greenwell accepted the proposal, capping off the night, and celebrated her birthday the following day. That marked an exciting 48-hour period for the starting guard.
 
PREPARE FOR THE BLOCK PARTY
The Eagles rank first in the nation with 161 blocks and first in blocked shots per game with 6.7. Forwards Shay Steele ,a junior, and Brooke Todd, a sophomore, are both tied at 38^th nationally and first in the the OVC with 48 blocked shots. MSU tied a school record and an OVC record with 16 blocks in the win over Mount St. Joseph on Nov. 23.
 
McKEE STARTS A NEW STREAK
Sophomore forward Eriel McKee scored double digits in 24 straight games dating back to her freshman season, beginning on Feb. 21, 2015 versus EKU. But her streak was halted against Jacksonville State last Monday when she scored four (while playing less than her normal time due to an injury).  
 
CROCKETT KEEPS COLLECTING OVC WEEKLY HONORS
Freshman guard Miranda Crockett has caught the attention of the OVC, as she has been awarded the OVC Freshman of the Week accolade on six different occasions, including as recent as the week of Feb 2.  Crockett leads the team in assists (96) and minutes played (724), is second in rebounding (158) and fourth in points per game (12.7).
 
FAST PACED OFFENSE
MSU's scoring has stayed at a steady pace, averaging 81.5 points per game, ranking sixth in the nation and first in the OVC.  In four games, MSU has reached the century scoring mark and are 3-1 when it does so.
 
CLAIMING THE BOARDS
The Eagles rank second in the country with 1,111 rebounds and fifth in rebounds per game with 46.2. MSU is also averaging 17 offensive rebounds per game, making them the eighth best offensive rebounding team in the nation.
 
SECOND-CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES
With a high rebounding average, 37 percent of the Eagles' rebounds have led to second-chance opportunities. As a result, MSU scores an average of 16.6 points per game as second-chance points.
 
PAINT THE INSIDE BLUE AND GOLD
On average, the Eagles are scoring 37.6 points per game in the paint, and their opponents are averaging 34.9 points per game.
 
GET EVERYONE INVOLVED
The MSU bench has been productive through the year, averaging 18.2 points per game. In 24 contests, the leading scorer has come from the bench twice.
 
STEALING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT
MSU ranks eighth nationally with 254 steals and is 25th in steals per game with 10.6. Sophomore forward Eriel McKee is fourth in the nation with 69 steals and ranks 21st with 2.8 steals per game.
 
DISHING OUT THE ASSISTS
As a team MSU has dished out 377 assists, and the Eagles rank 11th in the country. The Eagles have accumulated 10 or more assists in 21-of-24 games and have surpassed 20 assists in five games.
 
PUT THE OPPONENTS ON THEIR HEELS
With 20.2 forced turnovers per game, the Eagles rank 26th in the nation. In 12 contests, the Eagles have forced 20 or more turnovers.
 
LAST TIME OUT VS. TENNESSEE STATE
The sixth-seeded Morehead State women's basketball team led by as many as 10 points over third-seeded Tennessee State in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals on March 5, 2015, but the Tigers outscored the Eagles 30-8 in the final 11 minutes to rally for an 81-66 victory at Municipal Auditorium. MSU led 58-51 with 10:50 remaining, but the Eagles went more than seven minutes without a field goal and turned the ball over nine times as TSU raced past them. The Eagles managed just two field goals in the final 13:57.