BOX SCORE
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Senior point guard Drew Thelwell became the winningest individual player in Morehead State men's basketball history as the Eagles fought to a 69-57 victory over Eastern Illinois Saturday at Johnson Arena.
The Orlando, Fla., native had seven assists as he passed former Eagle Terrance Hill, who was a part of 87 wins from 2008-09 until 2011-12. Morehead State also secured its 20th victory of the season, marking the first time in program history MSU has put together four consecutive 20+ win campaigns.
Riley Minix secured his OVC-best 12th double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds. With the win, the Eagles hammered down their 18th consecutive home win.
In addition to Minix's impressive output, the Eagles (now 11-1 in the OVC) were led by Kalil Thomas, who had 14 points and seven rebounds. Zach Iyeyemi came off the bench to score a career high 12 points.
Morehead State grabbed 36 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Eastern Illinois' 29, led by Minix's 10 boards.
Morehead State's defense held Eastern Illinois to only 39 percent shooting from the field, including just 14 percent from beyond the arc. The Eagles also limited Tiger Booker to 3-of-12 shooting and eight points in the game. The Panthers did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with nine offensive rebounds and managed just six second chance points while Morehead State cleared 29 defensive rebounds.
Kyndall Davis notched a solid double-double for the Panthers with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 28-25 advantage, Morehead State went on a 5-0 run with 2:05 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Thelwell, to increase its lead to 33-25. The Eagles then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 36-28 advantage. Morehead State did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 24 of its 36 points close to the basket.
Morehead State kept its lead intact before going on an 8-0 run to grow the lead to 65-53 with 53 seconds to go in the contest. The Eagles held onto that lead for the rest of the game for the 69-57 win.
Game Notes
»
Riley Minix notched an impressive double-double for the Eagles with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
» The Eagles held the Panthers to only 39 percent shooting from the field.
» Morehead State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Morehead State tallied 15 total assists in the game.
»
Riley Minix,
Kalil Thomas, and
Zach Iyeyemi combined to account for 75 percent of the Eagles points.
» Morehead State had a 36-29 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Eagles were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying nine blocks as a team.
Up Next
Morehead State is back on the road this week, traveling to face Little Rock Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
