LITTLE ROCK, AR -- Down by 17 at one point and 12 points in the fourth quarter, the Morehead State women's basketball team battled all the way back and took the lead with 40 seconds to go to take down Little Rock 50-47 at the Jack Stephens Center Thursday night.Â
MSU closed the game on a 15-0 run, with Melissa Secchiaroli hitting a three to tie the game at 47 and Veronica Charles hitting the eventual game-winning triple.
The Eagles (13-11, 8-5 OVC) had two players score in double figures, led by Katie Novik, who had 13 points. Veronica Charles tacked on 13 points and five steals and Blessing King added six points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
The Morehead State offense made hay from deep, making nine threes on 34 attempts. Novik hit three treys for the Eagles in the contest.
Morehead State's defense held Little Rock to only 32.7 percent shooting from the field. The Eagles also limited Faith Lee to 5-of-25 shooting in the game.
How It Happened
Morehead State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 11-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Little Rock kept adding to that lead, building a 19-3 advantage before Morehead State went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a three from Novik, to narrow its deficit to 19-9. Little Rock responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Eagles trailing 27-13 heading into halftime.
Little Rock continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 31-15 advantage before Morehead State went on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a three from Novik, to trim its deficit to 31-21 with 6:10 to go in the third. Little Rock countered and stretched its lead to 41-29 heading into the fourth. Morehead State took advantage of five Little Rock turnovers in the quarter, scoring seven points off of takeaways.
Morehead State kept the Trojans from increasing their lead before going on a 15-0 run, finished off by Charles' three, to seize a 50-47 lead with 40 seconds to go in the contest, a score which would hold for the rest of the game. Morehead State fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 21 points.
Game Notes
» The Eagles rallied from a 12-point 41-29 third quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» Morehead State rallied from a 14-point 27-13 halftime deficit to pick up the win.
» Morehead State lit it up from three point land, knocking down nine treys in the game.
» The Eagles held the Trojans to only 32.7 percent shooting from the field.
» The Morehead State bench made an impact by scoring 21 points to its scoring output.
» The Morehead State defense forced 18 turnovers.
» Katie Novik and Veronica Charles led the Eagles with 13 points each.
» Morehead State got a team-high 11 rebounds from Blessing King.
Morehead State will look to continue to build momentum Saturday, when the Eagles visit UT Martin.Â
