DAYTON, Ohio – Freshman
Ariel Kirkwood posted the second double-double of her career as the Morehead State Women's Basketball team suffered a 58-41 setback at Dayton in a midday tilt on Thursday in front of 10,554 fans at UD Arena.
In a game where both teams shot under 30%, the Flyers won the on the boards and used the offensive glass to make the difference. The hosts outrebounded the Eagles 58-34 which included 23 offensive boards and a 24-2 advantage in second-chance points.
"The two big factors of the game were their offensive rebounding ability and our inability to really create any extended possessions by getting on the offensive glass ourselves," said MSU head coach
Greg Todd.
Defensively, both teams were locked in as Morehead State managed just 12-of-52 (.250) shooting while Dayton managed just 20-of-68 (.294) from the field.
"I thought positives from the game were our initial defense," added Todd. "It was maybe the best we had played defensively all year but we just let their second chances wear us down."
Kirkwood, a six-foot guard from Milwaukee, achieved her second double-double with a 12 point-13 rebound performance. Despite the Eagles being outrebounded, Kirkwood's 13 boards were a game-high. The rookie also swatted four shots and assisted two MSU buckets.
Dayton, which moves its record to an even 5-5 in 2019-20, saw its attack led by guard Jayla Scaife who tallied a game-high 16 points.
The loss drops the Morehead State to 3-5 overall.
Next up, the Eagles will take a ten-day break from competition before traveling to No. 19 Michigan State on Dec. 15.
