NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Behind a trio of career nights, Morehead State women's basketball ends its first of two games in the Music City singing a sweet tune after extending its winning streak to eight games over Tennessee State. The Eagles won 74-49.
Leading Morehead State offensively, redshirt senior
Tyler Moore tied a career-high by sinking eight three-pointers, finishing the evening 8-of-11 from behind the arc. The performance marked the second time this season she'd connected on eight shots from deep, concluding one three make shy of the program-record.
Her 24 points also stood as a game-best, leading a group of five double-figure scorers in the contest, including being part of a trio of Eagles to drop 10 or more points.
Joining Moore in double-digits for Morehead State were redshirt sophomore
Gabby Crawford and junior
Ellie Jo Johnson who poured in 19 and 10 points, respectively.
Recording a career-high 19 points while adding a game-high 10 rebounds, Crawford registered her Ohio Valley Conference-leading seventh double-double of the year. She ended the night going 5-of-9 from the floor while posting a career-best performance from the charity stripe, making 9-of-10 at the free throw line.
The career-nights didn't just occur on the offensive end for Morehead State as redshirt sophomore
Lauren Carter tallied a career-high five blocks, leading the Eagles to seven team blocks on the evening. The Eagles also forced 19 Lady Tiger turnovers, benefitting from eight steals.
Behind the career nights, Morehead State picked up the victory over Tennessee State 74-69 to improve to 6-12 on the year and 5-9 in the OVC.
In addition to the career nights from several Eagles, Morehead State also posted its best shooting percentage of the season for the second-consecutive game, fashioning a 44.9 shooting percentage after firing 22-of-49 from the field. The Eagles also recorded their best three-point field goal percentage of the season, shooting 58.8 percent from deep, netting 10-of-17 attempts.
Morehead State ends its three-game road swing with one final contest in the Music City, slated to meet Belmont Saturday. The game tips at 2 p.m. ET and airs on ESPN+ and the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety Eagle Sports Network (MSUEagles.com and WIVY-96.3 FM).
KEY MOMENTS
- Opening up its highest-scoring first quarter of the season, Morehead State opened the game on a 9-0 run capped by the first of eight Tyler Moore threes to force a Tennessee State timeout. The Eagles forced three Lady Tiger turnovers while holding Tennessee State to 0-of-4 from the field in the early going.
- Tennessee State exited the timeout answering Morehead State's momentum with a 7-0 run of their own before Ellie Jo Johnson quelled all momentum by scoring five consecutive points to extend Morehead State's lead.
- The Eagles continued to own the first quarter, ending the quarter on a 12-4 run to claim a 10-point advantage into the second quarter.
- Spanning the end of the first quarter and the opening of the second, Tyler Moore splashed three consecutive three-pointers to propel Morehead State to its highest-scoring half of the 2020-21 season. Behind this momentum, the Eagles outscored the Lady Tigers 21-8 in the second quarter to open up a 23-point halftime lead.
- Tennessee State chipped away at the Morehead State advantage by outscoring the Eagles 13-12 in the third quarter. The Lady Tigers held the Eagles to just 3-of-12 from the field in the period, but Morehead State answered the Tennessee State scoring flurry by shooting 6-of-8 at the free throw line.
- Morehead State continued to apply pressure in the final quarter, especially from beyond the arc, making 4-of-5 from deep with Moore sinking all three of her trey attempts. Off the bench, Morgan DeFoor sank her lone field goal attempt—a three with 28 seconds remaining—to extend the Morehead State lead to 27.
KEY STATS
- Firing 10-of-17 from deep, Morehead State posted its best three-point field goal percentage of the season. At 58.8 percent, the percentage marked the best for the Eagles since Jan. 2, 2020, versus Jacksonville State (4-of-7; 57.1) while being the best three-point field goal percentage with 10 or more made threes since Jan. 4, 2014, against Eastern Illinois (12-21; 57.1).
- Behind a career-high 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, Gabby Crawford recorded her OVC-lead-tying seventh double-double of the season.
- Sinking eight threes against Tennessee State, Tyler Moore tied a career-high for made three-pointers, having also made eight at Murray State on Jan. 11. The eight made threes fall one make shy of the Morehead State record nine.
- Lauren Carter led Morehead State with a career-best five blocks Thursday becoming the eighth Eagle to tie or set a career-high in blocks this season. She's also one of five Eagles with prior NCAA Division I experience to tie or set a career-best in rejections.
