BOX SCORE
MARTIN, TN -- Riley Minix, Eddie Ricks III and Drew Thelwell each notched at least 20 points and the Eagles nearly erased as much as a 13-point second-half deficit, but the Morehead State men's basketball team fell to the UT Martin Skyhawks 88-82 on the road Saturday.
The Eagles (20-7, 11-3 OVC), who dropped two straight games for the first time this season, had four players score in double figures. They were led by Minix, who had yet another double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds, his OVC-best 14th this year. Ricks III added a career-high 21 points and seven rebounds and Thelwell chipped in as well with 20 points and eight assists. It's the third game this year where three Eagles have scored 20 or more.
Morehead State took advantage of excellent ball movement in Saturday's game, piling up 16 assists on 27 made field goals.
Morehead State did a great job disrupting UT Martin shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Dieonte Miles led the way individually for the Eagles with three rejections.
MSU trailed by 13 in the second half and rallied all the way back to take an 82-80 lead with 1:50 to go but never scored again as UTM sealed their win with four free throws and a corner three-pointer. In a game of the league's top two point producers (Minix and UTM's Jordan Sears), Sears ended with 31. Jacob Crews scored 29 for the 'Hawks.
How It Happened
After falling behind 15-7, Morehead State went on an 8-0 run with 12:30 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Minix, to tie the game at 15. UT Martin then pulled ahead, sending the Eagles into halftime down 44-36.
UT Martin kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 67-56 advantage before Morehead State went on a 12-0 run to seize a 68-67 lead with 6:04 to go in the contest. UT Martin re-asserted control, outscoring the Eagles 21-14 the rest of the way to hand Morehead State the 88-82 loss.
Game Notes
»
Riley Minix notched his 13th 20+ points game, including eight of the last nine games.
» Thelwell's eight assists give him 173 for the season, just 25 short of the MSU single-season record.
» The Eagles shot well from three point range, knocking down 14 of 33 long range attempts.
» Morehead State tallied 16 total assists in the game.
»
Riley Minix,
Eddie Ricks III, and
Drew Thelwell combined to account for 82 percent of the Eagles points.
Up Next
MSU returns home for a Tuesday contest versus Southern Indiana at 7:30 p.m. ET.
