CHAMPAIGN, Ill. --The Morehead State women's basketball team got a 26-point showing from the bench, but fell 81-61 to the Illinois Fighting Illini on the road Tuesday.
Veronica Charles led the Eagles (0-1) with 16 points and three steals. Katie Novik tacked on nine points and five assists in her Eagle debut and Valentina Saric helped out with seven points and six rebounds off the bench. Saric pulled down three offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Morehead State, grabbing 15 boards and turning them into eight second chance points.
Blessing King was a bright spot, tallying eight points and four offensive rebounds while shooting a perfect 4-4 from the floor. Melissa Secchiaroli finished with eight points as well.
Morehead State outrebounded Illinois 36-32, and kept pace with the Illini in the second half as both teams scored 37 points in the final two quarters. Despite the great second half, Morehead State went just 3-17 from long range and 31% overall from the field in the first half in the loss.
How It Happened
After falling behind 15-6, Morehead State went on a 5-0 run with 3:59 left in the first quarter to narrow its deficit to 15-11. Illinois answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Eagles down 20-11 entering the second quarter.
The Eagles continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 44-24 halftime deficit.
Morehead State came out of halftime on fire, going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Jayden Rhodes, to trim its deficit to 44-30 with 7:34 to go in the third. Illinois countered and stretched its lead to 62-46 heading into the fourth. Morehead State played well near the basket, scoring 16 of its 22 points in the paint.
Morehead State came out of the third quarter break clicking on all cylinders, going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Saric's three, to shrink the deficit to 62-51 with 8:55 to go in the contest. Illinois responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 81-61. Morehead State fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 15 points.
Game Notes
» The Morehead State bench came alive by adding 26 points to its scoring output.
» Morehead State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Veronica Charles led the Eagles with 16 points.
» Morehead State got a team-high six rebounds from Valentina Saric.
Morehead State's home opener comes on Thursday, as the Eagles host Wilberforce (OH) at Johnson Arena.
