MOREHEAD, Ky. – Appearing in their first games in an Eagle uniform, a pair of newcomers put forth exceptional debuts Wednesday night as Morehead State entertained Dayton in the 2020-21 season opener for both squads. Unfortunately, the Eagles couldn't ground the Flyers who overcame Morehead State by a 71-57 margin.
Sophomore
Lai'Janique Perry-Ellis led all Eagle scorers by pouring in 19 points in her first outing. She added three rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal in her 28 minutes on the floor, adding to her team-leading scoring output.
Finishing just behind Perry-Ellis in the scoring column was redshirt sophomore
Gabby Crawford who logged a double-double in her first action as a Morehead State Eagle. She tallied 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass to lead all players in the contest.
Reigning Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year
Ariel Kirkwood made her presence felt on the defensive end as she picked right up from last year by rejecting five flyer shot attempts. She also added nine points and six rebounds on the evening.
Also hitting the glass for Morehead State was redshirt sophomore
Lauren Carter who grabbed eight boards, finishing behind Crawford for the second-highest rebounding total in Wednesday night's game. Overall, Morehead State grabbed 41 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive glass.
KEY MOMENTS
- Dayton opened the game on an 8-0 run before a Gabby Crawford jumper ended the opponent's run. The Flyers ascended to a nine-point advantage before Morehead State cut the lead at the end of the first quarter.
- Trading runs in the second quarter, Morehead State cut the Dayton lead to three with a six-point outburst run in the frame. Following a Perry-Ellis jumper, Morehead State turned up the heat defensively as a Kirkwood block and subsequent foul-drawing rebound from Crawford led to two from the line before a Carter steal led to a Tomiyah Alford run-out layup, drawing an assist from Morgan DeFoor.
- Behind four separate runs, spanning seven, five, six, and seven points apiece, Dayton extend its lead to a game-high 20 with 6:52 to play in the fourth quarter.
- Morehead State cut into Dayton's advantage behind a pair of runs of its own, sparked by the Eagles' attack of the glass. Crawford led a four-point scoring streak during the fourth quarter as Morehead State pulled down a pair of offensive rebounds to open up looks in the paint where Crawford connected on a layup while drawing a foul for two more of her 17 points from the free-throw line.
- The Eagle guards also sparked a seven-point run as DeFoor and Perry-Ellis hit three consecutive layups in the paint before Perry-Ellis drew her way to the charity stripe for two of her 19 points on the night.
KEY STATS
- After ranking second in the OVC in reaching the free-throw line last season, Morehead State found its way to the free-throw line for 30 charity stripe attempts Wednesday night. Last season, the Eagles found their way to the line 20 or more times in a game on 14 occasions with four of those seeing 30-plus free throw attempts.
- The top blocking team in the OVC last year, Morehead State opened the 2020-21 season with nine rejections. Sophomore Ariel Kirkwood collected five of the team's blocks and now has 87 career blocks, a total which ranks sixth in program history as she passed Melissa Ireton and Eriel McKee on the career blocked shots list.
- Pouring in 19 points in her Morehead State debut, Lai'Janique Perry-Ellis is the first newcomer since Aliyah Jeune against North Carolina A&T in 2018-19 to lead the Eagles in scoring in a season opener.
- While Morehead State may have dropped the rebounding margin by a single board, the Eagles did grab 13 boards on the offensive glass. Gabby Crawford led all players with five offensive rebounds while Lauren Carter and Ariel Kirkwood added three apiece.
UP NEXT
Morehead State returns to action next week, travelling to Columbia, Mo. for a meeting with Southeastern Conference foe Missouri. Next Wednesday's game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. ET tip and will air on SEC Network+.
