BOX SCORE
LOUISVILLE, KY -- Kalil Thomas nailed a dagger 3-pointer with 57 seconds left in the game to put Morehead State Men's Basketball ahead 60-51, and the Eagles earned a hard-fought 64-51 victory over the Bellarmine Knights on the road Monday at Freedom Hall.
The Eagles (3-3) had three players score in double figures, led by Thomas, who had a season-best 20 points. Riley Minix tacked on 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals and Drew Thelwell helped out with 10 points and six assists. Trent Scott gave the Eagles a boost with all eight of his points in the second half.
After having 29 mistakes in its last game, MSU valued the ball tonight with only eight turnovers.
Minix pulled down four offensive rebounds to lead the Morehead State offense which grabbed 14 boards and turned them into 15 second-chance points.
Morehead State did a great job disrupting Bellarmine shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Eddie Ricks III led the way individually for the Eagles with acareer-high four rejections. Bellarmine's top scorer, Peter Suder, was held to only two points.
How It Happened
Morehead State started out the scoring by going on a 7-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Thomas, to take an early lead with 18:05 left in the first half. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 22-20 advantage. Morehead State did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 16 of its 22 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Morehead State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 55-51 before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Thomas' layup, to grow the lead to 64-51 with 23 seconds to go in the contest, The Eagles held onto that lead for the rest of the game for the 64-51 win. Morehead State shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting seven shots from deep to score 21 of its 42 points.
Game Notes
» MSU improved to 9-0 all-time against in-state foe Bellarmine, winning for the second straight season. Last year, Bellarmine only scored 55 against MSU.
» Morehead State found success from beyond the arc, knocking down nine treys in the game.
» The Eagles held the Knights to only 35 percent shooting from the field.
» Morehead State had a 42-29 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Eagles were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Morehead State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Morehead State got a game-high 10 rebounds from
Dieonte Miles.
Up Next
The Eagles return home Wednesday to host Midway (Ky.) at 3 p.m. ET following the women's game versus Ohio.
