BOX SCORE
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Five Eagles scored in double digits, and Morehead State Women's Basketball beat the Midway (Ky.) Eagles 103-51 at home Saturday.
The Eagles (1-3) were led by Melissa Secchiaroli, who had a career-high 17 points. Hallie Rhodes tacked on a career-high 15 points, six rebounds and two steals off the bench and Valentina Saric helped out with a career-best 13 points and two steals off the bench. Matilda Soderlund scored 12, and Skylar Barnes came off the bench for 11 markers.
Morehead State shared the ball well in Saturday's game, racking up a season-high 26 assists on 35 made field goals. Katie Novik's nine assists led the Eagles and Veronica Charles also added four assists of her own.
The Morehead State defense was a problem in Saturday's game, forcing 21 Midway turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 27 points on the other end of the floor. Novik's four steals led the way individually for the Eagles.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 13-7 advantage, Morehead State went on a 10-0 run with 4:55 left in the first quarter to increase its lead to 23-7. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 23-9 advantage. Morehead State capitalized on six Midway turnovers in the period, turning them into eight points on the other end of the floor.
MSU kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 6:59 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from Saric, to increase its lead to 29-11. The Eagles proceeded to tack on 10 points to that lead and enjoyed a 51-23 advantage heading into halftime. Morehead State was strong from deep in the period, knocking down five three-point shots to account for 15 of its 28 points.
Following intermission, Morehead State continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 62-31 before going on a 9-0 run to expand its lead further to 71-31 with 3:04 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, Midway had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Eagles still entered the fourth quarter with a 73-40 edge. Morehead State's bench made the most of its minutes in the period, as non-starters totaled 12 of the team's 22 third-quarter points.
Morehead State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 80-42 before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Blessing King's layup, to grow the lead to 87-42 with 6:06 to go in the contest. The Eagles kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 103-51 win. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 16 of its 30 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Eagles shot well from three point range, knocking down 13 of 30 long range attempts.
» The Eagles held Midway to only 26.2 percent shooting from the field.
» MSU never trailed after taking a 23-9 first quarter lead.
» The Eagles shared the ball well, recording an assist on 74 percent of made field goals.
» The Morehead State bench came alive by adding 66 points to its scoring output.
» Morehead State had a 60-26 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Morehead State defense forced 21 turnovers.
» The Eagles were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording five blocks as a team.
» Morehead State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 22 offensive boards in the game.
» Morehead State got a game-high 14 rebounds from Blessing King.
Up Next
MSU hosts Ohio on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.
