BOX SCORE
EVANSVILLE, IN --Â Mark Freeman collected 21 points, but the Morehead State men's basketball team fell to the Southeast Missouri Redhawks 65-58 at Ford Center Friday in the OVC Tournament semifinals.
The Eagles may have fallen short of the OVC tournament title but the season is not over yet. MSU has earned an automatic berth to the National Invitation Tournament. The Eagles will learn their first-round opponent next week.
Freeman added three assists to his 21 point game to lead the Eagles (21-11). Drew Thelwell helped out with 13 points and two steals and Kalil Thomas chipped in with six points, a career-best 10 rebounds and two steals.
Morehead State did a great job disrupting Southeast Missouri State shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Alex Gross led the way individually for the Eagles with three rejections.
How It Happened
After playing to an 11-11 tie, Morehead State went on an 8-0 run with 13:06 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Freeman, to take a 19-11 lead. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 34-29 advantage. Morehead State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down five shots to account for 15 of its 34 points.
Southeast Missouri State proceeded to take a 61-53 lead before Morehead State went on a 5-0 run to shrink the deficit to 61-58 with 50 seconds to go in the contest. Southeast Missouri State responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 65-58. Morehead State took care of business in the paint, recording 12 of its 24 points in the lane.
But, the Eagles were held to just seven made baskets in the second half.
Game Notes
» The Eagles put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 60 percent of made field goals.
» The Eagles were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Mark Freeman led the Eagles with a game-high 21 points.
» Morehead State got a team-high 10 rebounds from Kalil Thomas.
