BOX SCORE
EDWARDSVILLE, IL -- Morehead State women's basketball fought from 18 points down to cut their deficit to two points in the fourth quarter, but couldn't complete the comeback as they fell to SIUE Thursday night 72-66.
The Eagles had two players score in double figures, led by Sophie Benharouga, who had 13 points. Jayden Rhodes had a career game, posting season-high marks with13 points, seven rebounds and two steals and Veronica Charles added nine points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Rhodes pulled down five offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Morehead State, grabbing 14 boards and turning them into 12 second chance points.
Morehead State forced 23 SIUE turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Thursday's game. The Eagles turned those takeaways into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Sandra Lin's three steals led the way for Morehead State.
The Eagles road trip continues Saturday as they head to St. Charles, Mo., to take on new OVC member Lindenwood. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 PM ET.
How It Happened
Morehead State started out the scoring by going on a 5-0 run to take an early lead with 6:41 left in the first quarter. The Eagles then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 17-11.
The Eagles continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 34-24 halftime deficit.
Morehead State's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Eagles faced a 53-39 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Morehead State played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 15 points in the paint.
Morehead State narrowed its deficit to 57-47 before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Benharouga's layup, to shrink the deficit to 57-53 with 5:18 to go in the contest. SIUE responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 72-66. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 14 of its 27 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Eagles held the Cougars to only 38 percent shooting from the field.
» The Morehead State bench came alive by adding 23 points to its scoring output.
» The Morehead State defense forced 23 turnovers.
» Morehead State got a team-high seven rebounds from Jayden Rhodes.
