BOX SCORE
EVANSVILLE, IN -- Riley Minix scored 26 points and three other Eagles reached double figures in the point column too to help lead the Morehead State men's basketball team past the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 81-70 on the road Saturday.
The Eagles (15-5, 6-1 OVC) were led by Minix, who had 26 points, six rebounds and two steals. Minix now has seven 20-point games in his first Eagle season. Kalil Thomas tacked on 14 points and Eddie Ricks III chipped in as well with 11 points off the bench. Drew Thelwell scored in double digits (11) for the first time in the past 11 games.
Morehead State out-rebounded Southern Indiana 34-30 in Saturday's game, paced by Dieonte Miles' six boards. The Eagles also grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and scored 14 second-chance points.
Morehead State forced 16 Southern Indiana turnovers while committing 14 themselves in Saturday's game. The Eagles turned those takeaways into 14 points on the offensive end of the floor.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 9-7 advantage, Morehead State went on an 8-0 run with 14:34 left in the first half to increase its lead to 17-7. The Eagles then added four points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 42-28 advantage. Morehead State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 42 points.
Morehead State kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Ricks' layup, to grow the lead to 78-62 with 1:57 to go in the contest. The Screaming Eagles narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Eagles still cruised the rest of the way for the 81-70 win. Morehead State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 10 of its 39 total points.
Game Notes
» The Eagles now have 10 games hitting 10 or more three-pointers.
» The Eagles shot well from three point range, knocking down 10 of 23 long range attempts.
» Morehead State never trailed on the way to an 81-70 victory.
» Morehead State had a 34-30 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Morehead State defense forced 16 turnovers.
» Morehead State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 18 offensive boards in the game.
Up Next
MSU is off on Thursday but returns home to host Western Illinois Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
