MOREHEAD, Ky. – Hosting in-state rival Eastern Kentucky (1-2; 0-0 OVC) at Johnson Arena, Morehead State women's basketball (0-2; 0-1) and the visiting Colonels went blow for blow with one another to the final buzzer, trading the lead 11 times in Friday night's Ohio Valley Conference contest. In the first of two meetings this season, Eastern Kentucky wrestled a one-point victory away from its rival, outlasting the Eagles 50-49.
Redshirt sophomore
Gabby Crawford and senior
Jazzmyn Elston led all scores in the game, pouring in 14 points apiece. Like she did in the season opener against Dayton, Crawford made a habit of finding her way to the free throw line, reaching eight times where she tallied six of her 14 points. Elston got things done behind the arc, hitting a pair of threes to total six of her game-high 14.
Morehead State won the rebounding battle over its in-state foe, pulling down 48 total rebounds to the Colonels 37 while also owning the offensive glass with 17 offensive boards. Sophomore
Ariel Kirkwood tied a career-high Friday night, corralling a game-high 15 boards as redshirt sophomore
Lauren Carter joined Kirkwood in double-figure boards, establishing a career-high with 10 rebounds.
The Eagles also continued to alter their opponent's shots to great effect, totaling a season-best 11 blocks in the contest. Leading the way was Kirkwood who rejected four shots with three Eagles, Carter, freshman
Morgan DeFoor and junior
Ellie Jo Johnson each altering two shots apiece.
KEY MOMENTS
- Morehead State opened the scoring with four second-chance points as Kirkwood hit the offensive glass for a pair of quick boards, dishing an assist to Elston before laying one in to give the Eagles the early lead.
- Following a quick 6-0 run for Eastern Kentucky early in the first quarter to give the Colonels their first lead, Morehead State answered with an 8-0 run of its own, sparked by four points in the run from Crawford to regain a lead the Eagles would command the rest of the quarter.
- Eastern Kentucky's Kendall Wingler opened the second period with a three-ball to knot things at 16, but Crawford provided a Morehead State answer with a quick 5-0 run of her own, highlighted by a pair of baskets in the paint.
- The Eagles expanded Crawford's run with four additional paint points, growing the overall run to 9-1 following the tie early in the quarter. However, the Colonels closed the half on a 6-0 run to cut the Eagle advantage to two at the half.
- Wingler opened the third quarter with a three to give Eastern Kentucky its first lead in the game since the 5:59 mark in the first quarter. The two teams traded the lead throughout the opening half of the quarter before the Colonels used a small 4-0 run in the middle of the period to regain the lead which they'd take until the final frame.
- Trailing by four to start the fourth quarter, Morehead State went on a pair of runs, both 6-0 and 4-0 in the quarter as the two teams traded the lead throughout the final 10 minutes.
- Following a Corriana Evans jumper with under 15 seconds left in regulation to pull Eastern Kentucky within one, the Colonels forced an Eagle turnover to regain possession in the game's final seconds. A pair of Alice Recanati free throws would give the Colonels the final one-point advantage.
KEY STATS
- Morehead State pulled down 17 rebounds on the offensive glass Friday night, leading Eastern Kentucky in the offensive rebounding margin by +8. The 17 offensive boards were the most for the Eagles since grabbing 19 against Tennessee State on Feb. 22, 2020.
- With a pair of double-digit rebounders, the Eagles posted their first game with two players with 10+ rebounds since Dec. 19, 2019, when three players accomplished the feat against Asbury. Both of Morehead State's double-figure rebounds tied or set career highs Friday with Lauren Carter setting a career-best with 10 boards while Ariel Kirkwood tied her career-high with 15 boards.
- As a team, Morehead State blocked 11 shots against Eastern Kentucky, the most by an Ohio Valley Conference team in a game this season. Kirkwood led the Eagles with four blocks in the game while three Eagles blocked two shots apiece, including freshman Morgan DeFoor who collected the first blocked shots of her career.
UP NEXT
Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky return to the court once again for another edition of the in-state rivalry as the Eagles head to Richmond, Ky. on Dec. 14. The game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. ET tip and will air on ESPN+.
