BOX SCORE
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State Men's Basketball graduate transfers Jordan Lathon and Kalil Thomas both reached the 1,000 career point mark in their collegiate tenures, and head coach Preston Spradlin tied former coaching great Wayne Martin for third place in career wins at MSU as the Eagles won a 64-50 defensive battle over OVC newcomer Western Illinois Saturday at Johnson Arena.
Lathon needed eight points entering the game and finished with 14, while Thomas was just four shy and wound up scoring 12. Spradlin's 130th coaching win at MSU moved him into the tie with Martin (1978-79 through 1986-87) for third place in wins while leading an Eagle men's basketball program.
Riley Minix's double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, his OVC-best ninth, led the Eagles (16-5, 7-1 OVC) who won their 16th straight home game and edged the Leathernecks (13-8, 6-2 OVC) out of a first place tie midway through the OVC race.
The Morehead State defense held Western Illinois shooters to only 29 percent from the field, including 29 percent from three-point range. The Eagles also kept the OVC's top three-point sharpshooter, Ryan Myers, to 3-of-17 shooting in the game.
Myers still led WIU with 11 points, while the OVC's top board man, Drew Cisse, grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for the visitors from Macomb, Ill.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 12-7 advantage, Morehead State went on an 8-0 run with 12:52 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Lathon, to increase its lead to 20-7. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 28-20 advantage. Morehead State did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 26 of its 28 points close to the basket.
Morehead State kept its near double-digit lead intact before going on a 9-0 run to grow the lead to 64-48 with 1:37 to go in the contest.
Game Notes
» Morehead State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Morehead State had a 40-36 edge on the boards in the win. The teams were the top in the league in rebounding and rebounding margin.
» Morehead State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» The OVC assist leades, Drew Thelwell, added nine to his total and now has 130 assists this season.
» The Eagles were near perfect at the free throw line, hitting 11 of 12 free tosses.
Up Next
MSU is back on the road this week, first facing Tennessee State at 8 p.m. ET Thursday night.
