CHARLESTON, Ill. – For the second time in as many games, Morehead State women's basketball's
Tyler Moore led all Eagle scorers, pouring in a team-high 16 points behind a game-high four three-pointers. The redshirt senior has made the most of her two straight starts, canning 12 treys over the past two games.
Sophomore
Ariel Kirkwood joined Moore in double-figures for Morehead State, posting a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down a game-high 10 boards. The double-double marked the third of her season while also being the 10th of her career. Kirkwood's rebounding total versus Eastern Illinois was the fourth occasion this year where she's grabbed 10 or more boards.
After battling through three quarters, Eastern Illinois (5-7; 3-4 OVC) pulled away from Morehead State (2-8; 1-4) by turning up the defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, forcing 10 Eagle turnovers behind seven steals. The Panthers tallied 19 points in the period to claim victory 65-50.
In addition to her 10 points and 10 boards, Kirkwood also continued to pile up assists, tallying six helpers Thursday evening, giving her 13 assists across the last two games. She also added a pair of blocks and a steal, defensively.
Elsewhere in the scoring column, junior
Ellie Jo Johnson scored seven points with redshirt sophomore
Gabby Crawford and sophomore
Tomiyah Alford adding six points apiece. Johnson and Crawford combined to go 9-of-9 from the charity stripe, leading Morehead State to a 13-of-15 clip from the free throw line.
Morehead State returns to the court, travelling to Edwardsville, Ill. for a Saturday matinee contest with SIUE. Tip-off is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET and streams on ESPN+ and the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety Eagle Sports Network (MSUEagles.com or WIVY-96.3 FM).
KEY MOMENTS
- After ceding the first basket of the game, Eastern Illinois used a 6-0 run to take the lead heading into the second half of the first quarter. Free throw makes, two apiece, from Gabby Crawford and Ellie Jo Johnson kept the game within a possession.
- Propelling Morehead State to the lead to wrap the first quarter, Tyler Moore ignited from beyond the arc, draining three treys, including two within the final minute of the period to give the Eagles a 15-12 advantage.
- After hitting just one of five attempts from three in the first quarter, Eastern Illinois heated up from three with EIU's Karle Pace canned a pair of threes to give Eastern Illinois the lead. Overall, the Panthers connected on 3-of-7 attempts in the second quarter.
- After Eastern Illinois grew its third-quarter lead to nine points, Morehead State immediately answered with a 9-0 run to knot things back up. Crawford and Johnson scored two points each from the free throw line with Ariel Kirkwood scoring two of her own before dishing an assist on a Lauren Carter three.
- With the game tied at 39, Eastern Illinois answered Morehead State with a 7-0 run of its own to regain the lead. Ariel Kirkwood would hit a pair of free throws with under 30 seconds remaining in the quarter to trim the deficit to five.
- Eastern Illinois turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter, forcing 10 Morehead State turnovers. The Panthers used the turnovers to spur a 9-0 run, scoring a majority of the points in the fastbreak, tallying 16 of their 19 points in the quarter in transition.
KEY STATS
- With six assists Thursday evening, Ariel Kirkwood became the first Eagle with six or more assists in consecutive games since Darianne Seward dished out eight and seven helpers against Southeast Missouri and UT Martin, respectively, on Jan. 11 and 13, 2018.
- Morehead State held Eastern Illinois without a three-point make in the second half Thursday, forcing the Panthers to shoot 0-for-8 from behind the three-point line. It marks the second consecutive game the Eagles have held its opponent without a three-point field goal in a half, holding Murray State to 0-of-6 shooting from three in the first half on Monday.
- The Eagles shot 13-of-15 from the free throw against Eastern Illinois, the fifth time this season they have shot 80 percent or better from the charity stripe. The total also marks the second-best free throw percentage this season (86.7 percent), sitting just behind the 88.2 percent (15-of-17) clip against Jacksonville State.
