ARCHIVED VIDEO | BOX SCORE: (HTML) (PDF)

MOREHEAD, Ky. – It came down to the final tic on the scoreboard, but Morehead State women's basketball (13-7, 4-3 Ohio Valley Conference) fell to Jacksonville State (12-6, 6-1 OVC) by a score of 67-65 on Thursday evening at Johnson Arena.

Darianne Seward blew the door open for Morehead State, outscoring the Gamecocks 13-11 by herself in the first quarter. The Eagles led by nine, hitting 8-of-14 (.571) from the floor and holding the Gamecocks to just 4-of-16 (.250) shooting. A nearly even second quarter gave Morehead State a 35-25 advantage at halftime.

Momentum swung in the opposite direction in the third quarter, however, as Jacksonville State exploded for a 10-point gain in the period. The Gamecocks lit up the nets with a 9-for-16 (.563) performance from the field, just as Morehead State went cold on 4-of-13 (.308) shooting.

The teams entered the fourth quarter knotted up 48-48, persisting a back-and-forth battle for the final 10 minutes. Down 65-62 with under 10 seconds to go, Eriel McKee launched a long-range jumper from well beyond the three-point line to connect on her second clutch perimeter shot in the last three games.

Jacksonville State called timeout after McKee tied the game, leaving just six seconds with which to work from its own sideline. JSU forward Chloe Long drove to the basket for a contested layup, but her attempt rattled off the rim before falling toward the ground. Gamecocks senior Tyler Phelion grabbed the offensive rebound and attempted one more try, but OVC-leading shot-blocker Brooke Todd was there to deny her. Jacksonville State guard Ki-Ki Patterson scooped up the miss, dropping in the game-winning layup with less than one second remaining.

Seward led all scorers with 20, including 18 points in the first half. Miranda Crockett followed closely behind with 17, while former Howard transfer Erin Blaine notched the game's only double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Todd finished with nine boards and five blocked shots, and McKee added nine points, five rebounds, and four steals.

After dropping to the Gamecocks for the second time this season, Morehead State looks to complete a season sweep of Tennessee Tech (4-14, 1-6 OVC), who the Eagles defeated 74-67 on the road last December. Morehead State tips off with TTU on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.