Eagles Battle in Second Half, but Fall at Evansville Saturday

BOX SCORE

MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State closed their season-long four game road trip with a 79-49 defeat at Evansville.
 
The Eagles struggled with Evansville's intense full court defense in the first half, committing 10 turnovers, but battled in the second half, outscoring the Purple Aces in the third quarter.
 
Morehead State received a balanced scoring attack, with nine different Eagles recording points. Graduate student Terri Smith and sophomore Alana Denson led the charge with 11 points apiece, while fellow sophomore Jada Claude added seven points. Freshman Janay Rose posted five points and six rebounds in her first start of the season, and junior Kaitlyn Keathley also connected on her first collegiate three pointer late in the first half.
 
Morehead State fell behind early, but clawed back on the strength of baskets from Jada Claude and Julan McDonald to cut the deficit to 11-8. The Eagles continued to stay close to Evansville after five straight points from Janay Rose, but the Purple Aces closed the half on a 13-4 run to build their lead.
 
The Eagles outscored Evansville in the 3rd quarter, with a three pointer from Evansville-native Freddy Adams capping off a 7-2 run to bring the Eagles to within 19 points of the Purple Aces, before a strong fourth quarter from Evansville put the game out of reach.
 
Morehead State now returns home for the first of five games, matching up with in-state rival Eastern Kentucky on December 15th. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:00 p.m. ET.