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MOREHEAD, Ky. – After hosting three straight games at Johnson Arena, Morehead State women's basketball treks south for a single road game at Tennessee Tech.

In the team's previous meeting, Morehead State picked up its first of four Ohio Valley Conference victories with a 65-62 triumph over the Golden Eagles at Johnson Arena. Redshirt sophomore Gabby Crawford had a career night against Tennessee Tech, tying a career-high with 17 points while pulling down a career-best 18 rebounds.

Three additional Eagles, junior Ellie Jo Johnson (13), redshirt sophomore Lauren Carter (11), and sophomore Ariel Kirkwood (10) joined Crawford in double-figures in the victory while Carter neared joining Crawford with a double-double by posting nine boards.

Morehead State outrebounded Tennessee Tech in the Jan. 7 contest 44-34 with the team's +10 rebound margin marking the second-highest margin this season.

The Eagles also enter Thursday's game as ranked second in NCAA Division I (men's or women's basketball) in total blocks, turning away 107 shots this season. The Eagles rank second in the NCAA in the category while leading the nation in blocks per game (7.6 per game).

Sophomore Ariel Kirkwood and redshirt sophomore Gabby Crawford lead the Eagles, ranking second and third, respectively, in the Ohio Valley Conference in total blocks, ranking seventh and 21st in the NCAA, respectively.

Morehead State's game at Tennessee Tech tips at 5 p.m. ET Thursday, airing on both ESPN+ and the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety Eagle Sports Network (MSUEagles.com or WIVY-96.3 FM).

INSIDE THE SERIES
Records: Morehead State (5-9; 4-6 OVC) | Tennessee Tech (8-5; 6-4 OVC)
Series: Tennessee Tech leads 61-30
Last Five Meetings: Jan. 7, 2021 (MOR 65, TTU 62) | Jan. 23, 2020 (TTU 82, MOR 75) | Jan. 4, 2020 (TTU 75, MOR 55) | Feb. 23, 2019 (MOR 73, TTU 70) | Jan. 24, 2019 (MOR 77, TTU 56)

NOTABLE
With 107 blocks on the season, Morehead State ranks second in all of NCAA Division I (men's and women's basketball) in total blocks. The Eagles are one of four NCAA Division I teams with 100 or more blocks this season, being joined by the Oklahoma State women's basketball (109), Auburn men's basketball (106), and South Carolina women's basketball (105) programs.

In addition to leading the NCAA in total blocks, Morehead State leads the nation in blocks per game, averaging 7.6 rejections per contest.

Leading Morehead State in blocking, Ariel Kirkwood ranks seventh in the NCAA with 40 total blocks this season while her per game average of 2.86 blocks ranks 14^th. Gabby Crawford also ranks highly for the Eagles, ranking 21^st in total blocks and 38^th in blocks per game in the country.

Morehead State is also the only team in the Ohio Valley Conference to rank four players among the top-15 in the conference in blocked shots. Kirkwood (40) and Crawford (30) rank second and third, respectively, while Lauren Carter (16) and Ellie Jo Johnson (10) rank sixth and 11^th, respectively.

Defensively, Morehead State also ranks second in the conference and 24^th in the NCAA in three-point field goal defense, holding opponents to a 25.0 shooting percentage from deep. The Eagles have limited opponents to 72-of-288 from behind the arc, holding opponents under 30 percent from long range in 12 of 14 games this season.

The Eagles also excel at reaching the free throw line, ranking second in the OVC and 31^st and 24^th in the NCAA, respectively in free throw attempts and free throws made. Morehead State has converted 212-of-289 attempts from the charity stripe this season.

Morehead State also ranks second in the OVC in average free throw attempts and free throws made. The Eagles are one of two teams in the conference to average 20 or more attempts per game, averaging 20.6 attempts per contest while making 15.1 free throws per game.

Against UT Martin last Saturday, Morehead State finished the game 18-of-20 from the free throw line, giving the team a 90 percent free throw percentage. The percentage marked the best for the team this season while the game marked the eighth time the Eagles had shot 20 or more free throws in a game.

Crawford leads Morehead State in reaching the free throw line, reaching 78 times this season while converting 61 times. She ranks 33^rd in the country in free throw attempts and 36^th in free throws made, ranking third and fourth in the OVC, respectively, in the two categories.

Crawford also leads Morehead State and ranks third in the OVC in average free throw attempts and free throws made, averaging 5.6 attempts and 4.4 makes per game. Also ranking for Morehead State is Johnson, ranking sixth and seventh in the conference with 4.3 attempts and 3.5 makes per game, respectively.

Morehead State also ranks highly in the OVC in rebounding, ranking fifth in the conference in both total rebounds and rebounds per game. Overall, the Eagles have pulled down 539 boards in 14 games, an average of 38.5 rebounds per contest.

Morehead State is one of two teams in the OVC to have three players ranked in the top-16 in the league in rebounding, claiming the third, eighth, and 16^th spots on the leaderboard. Crawford leads the group with 8.7 rebounds per contest to rank second while Kirkwood ranks eighth at 7.7 boards per game and Carter ranks 14^th with 5.9 rebounds per game.

Dishing out 41 total assists this season, Kirkwood ranks ninth in the OVC in total assists. Dating back to Jan. 11, she's passed out 27 helpers in the past six games, ranking third in the OVC in the time span as she's one of seven players in the conference to record 20 or more assists since Jan. 11.

Connecting on 7-of-15 attempts from beyond the arc last Saturday against UT Martin, Morehead State put together a 46.7 shooting percentage from long range. The percentage marked the best for the Eagles this season and marked the third time this season the team eclipsed 40 percent shooting from three.