BOX SCORE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- As it has done in almost trademark fashion since the beginning of 2021, Morehead State men's basketball used stingy defense and efficiency on offense to pull away in the second half and defeat Tennessee State 79-66 at the Gentry Center Thursday night, tying the program mark with its 12th consecutive win.

Leading by just two at the halftime break, the Eagles (16-6/13-2 OVC) shot 54 percent in the final half, outscored TSU (3-15/2-13 OVC) 45-34 and out-rebounded the Tigers 20-11 to also win their sixth straight OVC road game. MSU hadn't won six consecutive away from Johnson Arena since 2002-03.

Morehead State's 13 OVC wins are now tied for the second highest in program history, equaling 2002-03 and 2010-11 and trailing the 2009-10 squad by just two.

Freshman forward Johni Broome continued his stellar and efficient play in his first season, recording his seventh double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, his fifth 20-point effort. Broome was 9-of-12 from the field and also had a pair of assists and steals. Sophomore guard Ta'lon Cooper got the starting assignment in place of an injury and responded with season-highs of 17 points, seven assists and four steals.

Junior guard Skyelar Potter put the Eagles on his back in the first half, scoring 10 points on a trio of triple balls. He came back and added nine more in the final half and also grabbed eight rebounds as the Eagles out-rebounded TSU 41-29. That's the fifth time in the last six games the Eagles have owned a double-digit rebound advantage.

KEY MOMENTS

- MSU found itself behind 13-9 with 13:29 left in the opening half, but a bucket by junior forward LB Bryan at 12:50 opened up an 8-0 run by the visiting team.
- Potter's third triple of the night put MSU ahead 17-13 at 10:16.
- A free throw by senior James Baker at 6:31 of the first half sent the Eagles to their largest lead of the half (23-16), but a 7-0 run by the Tigers inched them back into the contest. Junior guard Jaylen Sebree thwarted the rally at 4:40 to keep his team on top.
- Johal Moody canned a three-pointer with less than two minutes in the half as TSU grabbed another short-loved lead at 31-30.
- Ta'lon Cooper scored three straight in the final 1:19 as the Eagles led 34-32 at the half.
- MSU opened the second half on a 12-0 run, keyed almost entirely by Broome. He scored 10 of his 20 in the the run, which saw MSU go on top 46-32 at the 14:41 mark.
- Mark Freeman dropped in a three-pointer for TSU with 12:07 remaining that saw the Tigers all the way back to within 48-44, but just three minutes later the Eagles were back up 13 (58-45). Senior James Baker scored the final three in that 10-1 run, including a dunk and free throw on a three-point play.
- MSU led by 17 on two occasions down the stretch as the Tigers only hit two field goals in the final four minutes.

KEY STATS

- Morehead State shot 48 percent (27-of-56), the ninth straight game where the Eagles finished with a 45 percent or better field goal accuracy.
- Ta'lon Cooper nearly equaled his career high for assists with the seven helpers. Ironically that career high was versus TSU last February 20.
- It was the fifth straight double-figure scoring effort for Potter, who has averaged 16.5 points in that span.
- Morehead State scored 20 second-chance points and 36 points in the paint.
- Despite getting to the free throw line 27 times, MSU made only 17. It marked the ninth straight game MSU made more free throws than the opponent and attempted more too.
- Shakem Johnson paced the Tigers with 18 points.

UP NEXT

Morehead State will remain in Nashville for a 5 p.m. Saturday battle at the OVC's top-ranked team, Belmont. The Bruins are 15-0 in the league and have won 18 straight. MSU and Belmont are ranked second and fourth in the nation currently with their respective win streaks.