BOX SCORE
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Already with a 30-point game to his credit, Morehead State's Jordan Lathon eclipsed that Saturday as he scored a career-high 31 points to help lead the Eagle men's basketball team over the Tennessee State Tigers 78-68 at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles (12-4, 3-0 OVC) had three players score in double figures, led by Lathon, who also had six rebounds and five steals. Lathon was a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line. Kalil Thomas added 15 points, all in the first half, and two steals. Riley Minix shook off some foul trouble and still helped out with 12 points and three steals.
MSU has now won 14 straight home games and now won seven straight in the series with the Tigers (8-9, 1-3 OVC).
The Morehead State defense caused its share of mistakes in Saturday's game, forcing 16 Tennessee State turnovers while committing just seven. Those takeaways turned into 19 points on the other end of the floor.
TSU placed four in double digit scoring, led by Justin Williams with 14. The Tigers also out-rebounded MSU 37-32. MSU entered as the league leader in rebound margin.
How It Happened
After falling behind 2-0, Morehead State went on a 7-0 run with 19:15 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Minix, to take a 7-2 lead. The Eagles then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 42-31 advantage. Morehead State did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 22 of its 42 points close to the basket.
Morehead State only led 59=-58 with 6:29 remaining, but a 10-2 run pushed MSU into a comfortable margin to win. Drew Thelwell scored seven straight Eagle points as MSU went up 69-60 with 2:39 left in the game. TSU was able to trim its deficit back to four (72-68) with 40 ticks left, but Lathon hit all six of his free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
Game Notes
» Morehead State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Morehead State defense forced 16 turnovers.
» The Eagles were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying seven blocks as a team.
» Morehead State got six rebounds from both
Dieonte Miles and
Jordan Lathon.
Up Next
MSU is back on the road this week, first traveling to Eastern Illinois for an 8:30 p.m. ET contest Thursday night.
