BOX SCORE
MOREHEAD, Ky. - A pair of double-doubles by freshman forward
Johni Broome and junior guard
DeVon Cooper - both player's first career double-doubles - propelled Morehead State men's basketball to a 69-61 triumph over Arkansas State at Johnson Arena in the Eagles' 2020-21 home opener Sunday.
The game, only finalized on Friday after both teams had cancelations, marked the Eagles' 24th consecutive home-opening victory, putting MSU at 1-2 this season.
Broome, a 6-10 big man from Plant City, Fla., imposed his will on the Red Wolves in the second half, scoring 19 of his game-high 25 markers after halftime. He also tied Cooper for the team-high in rebounds with 12 (seven offensive) as the Eagles won the glass battle in a big way, 43-23. Cooper, a Louisville, Ky., native who sat out all of last season with injuries, netted 14 points - all in the second half - and grabbed a career-best 12 boards. He also had four assists.
Broome's performance was the highest point total for an Eagle freshman since
Jordan Walker scored 26 at UT Martin in 2016-17.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
KEY MOMENTS
- An extremely tight battle saw 10 lead changes and eight ties. The Eagles' largest first-half lead came at 6:26 when junior guard
Skyelar Potter's triple gave his team a 17-11 advantage.
- The home team went into the locker room with a 23-21 advantage.
- Broom's dunk with 19:07 remaining pushed the Eagle lead to 27-21, but ASU proceeded to go on an 11-3 run to lead 32-30 with 14:54 left.
- With the Eagles clenching onto a 56-55 advantage with 3:18 left, Broome scored MSU's next six points in a minute, giving his squad a 62-57 lead with just more than two ticks left.
- Cooper drained a three-ball with 1:32 remaining for a 65-59 lead, and the Eagles forced two missed field goals on the Red Wolves' next two possessions. Sophomore guard
Ta'lon Cooper hit a pair of free throws and
DeVon Cooper knocked down two with 19 seconds left for the final margin.
KEY STATS
- MSU led for 31:03 in the contest despite the back and forth nature.
- Of the Eagles' 69 points, 36 came in the paint, and MSU had 15 offensive rebounds while allowing ASU to grab only three rebounds after their missed shots.
- After hitting only 35 percent (9-of-26) from the floor in the first half, the Eagles heated up to the tune of 53 percent (16-of-30) in the deciding half.
- Morehead State racked up nine blocked shots. On top of Broome's offensive efforts, he also swatted five shots away.
UP NEXT
The Eagles are set to travel to Ohio State, ranked 23rd in the nation last week, on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. ET game.
