GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO AUDIO, VIDEO AND LIVE STATS)
Morehead, KY -- The Morehead State women's basketball team wraps up their western road swing Sunday as they travel to west Texas to take on UTEP. The game can be seen on ESPN+, and heard on the Eagle Sports Network with Tom Lewis and Wes Holland on the call.
In the opener of this two-game road swing Thursday night, the Eagles fell at New Mexico 66-56. Senior
Aileen Marquez led the Eagles with 21 points in her Morehead State debut, hitting on 8-18 from the field, including 5-9 from three-point range. Morehead State was down as much as 24 early in the 4th quarter, but used sizzling shooting in the 4th quarter to cut the final margin to 10. TGhe Eagles shot 59% from the floor in the final frame, including 5-7 (71%) from three-point range.
Kate Novik added 14, and
Harley Paynter added 10 for MSU, all in the fourth quarter.
UTEP outlasted Tarleton State in their opener Monday night in El Paso, 52-49. Portia Adams led the Miners with 15 points. Ivane Tensale tossed in 14 points and Dunja Zecevic added 11.
RECORDS
MSU 1-1 | UTEP 1-0
THE SERIES
This is the first match up between these two programs.
NOTABLE
• In the season opener on Monday against Asbury University,
Kate Novik stuffed the stat sheet. She scored a career-high 25 points. She was (9-13) from the floor, (1-2) from three-point range and (6-7) from the free-throw line. She also hauled down seven rebounds, dished out 8 assists and swiped a career-high seven steals. The sophomore followed up that performance with 14 points at New Mexico.
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Aileen Marquez made an instant splash in her Morehead State debut Thursday night at New Mexico. She poured in 21 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor. Behind the arc, Marquez went 5-9. She played her first three seasons at Clarendon (Tex.) College, where whe played and started in 86 games. She averaged 16.9 points per game. She shot 46.3% from three-point range over her three years there and 85% from the free throw line. She spent last season at Florida International.
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Kuryn Brunson posted a double-double in her debut with Morehead State Monday night. She tossed in 11 points and collected 10 rebounds.
• Morehead State had five players score in double figures in the Eagles' season opener Monday night. Joining Novik and Brunson were
Chrishawn Coleman with 16, and
Michelle Ugwah and
Harley Paynter with 13 apiece.
•
Michelle Ugwah represented her home country of Ireland in the 2024 FIBA U-20 Women's EuroBasket. She averaged 8.9 points and 7.6 rebounds for the tournament. Ugwah had a big game against Croatia, notching a double-double with 18 points and 18 rebounds.
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Harley Paynter spent her first three years of college playing at OVC member Tennessee Tech. She was a standout at Boyd County (Ky.) High School. A Kentucky All-State selection three times, Paynter is Boyd County's second-leading scorer all-time with 2,489 points. She holds the school record with 994 career rebounds.
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Kate Novik is the lone returner from last season's team to see action.
Michelle Ugwah,
Alyssa Berry and
Marie Perdew were all on the roster but were unavailable due to injuries. Novik averaged 11.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. She played in all 30 games last season, making 25 starts. She was named to the Second Team All-OVC.
• This year's Morehead State roster again features an international flair. The countries of Belarus (Katie Novik), Russia (Veronka Korchagina), Ukraine (
Katie Dike), Canada (
Maia Rosarion) and Ireland (
Michelle Ugwah) are all represented.
• UTEP Coach Keitha Adams is in the second season of her second stint with the Miners. Her first tenure in El Paso was from 2001 to 2017 (16 seasons). She spent six seasons at Wichita State, before returning to West Texas last season. Including her five years at Independence CC, she has a career record of 504 wins against 358 losses, now in her 28th season as a collegiate head coach.
• Coach
Chris Palmer is a graduate of Emmanuel; the same school that Morehead State Men"s Head Coach Jonathan Mattox attended.
