Men's Hoops Shoots 56 Percent From Deep But Sees SEMO Rally Past Eagles

BOX SCORE

MOREHEAD, KY --The Morehead State men's basketball team shot 56 percent from deep, but could not secure as much as an 11-point second-half lead and fell to the Southeast Missouri Redhawks 91-86 at home Saturday.

The Eagles (10-9, 3-3 OVC), who fell at home for just the fifth time in the last three seasons, had four players score in double figures, led by Mark Freeman, who had 26 points, four assists and a career-high five steals. Drew Thelwell tacked on 16 points and six assists and Branden Maughmer helped out with 14 points off the bench. Jake Wolfe also had double figures with 11.

Led by Alex Gross' six offensive rebounds, Morehead State crashed the offensive glass, pulling down 13 boards that resulted in 13 second chance points.

The Morehead State defense caused its share of mistakes in Saturday's game, forcing 13 SEMO (9-10, 4-2 OVC) turnovers while committing just 11. Those takeaways turned into 18 points on the other end of the floor. Freeman's five steals led the way individually for the Eagles.

But, SEMO's Phillip Russell (37 points) and Chris Harris (23 points) proved to be too much for the Eagles to contain. SEMO also hit 21-of-23 free throws.

How It Happened
After falling behind 2-0, Morehead State went on a 7-0 run with 19:17 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Freeman, to take a 7-2 lead. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 49-47 advantage. Morehead State got out and ran in the period, scoring 11 points on the break.

Following intermission, Morehead State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 68-65 before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Thelwell's layup, to grow the lead to 76-65 with 9:53 to go in the contest. But, then Southeast Missouri asserted control, outscoring the Eagles 26-10 the rest of the way to hand Morehead State the 91-86 loss. Morehead State shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting five shots from deep to score 15 of its 37 points.

Game Notes
» The Eagles made over half of their attempts from three point range, knocking down 10 of 18 shots.
» The Eagles shared the ball well, recording an assist on 69 percent of made baskets.
» Morehead State lost despite a 31-24 rebounding advantage.
» The Morehead State defense forced 13 turnovers.

Up Next
Morehead State is back on the road this week, at SIUE Thursday night and league newcomer Lindenwood Saturday afternoon.