GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE VIDEO, LIVE AUDIO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Another crucial conference battle looms for the Morehead State men's basketball team on Thursday night at Western Illinois as the Eagles are still a half-game ahead of the Leathernecks in the OVC race. Tip time at WIU's Western Hall is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Morehead State enters the game having lost three games in a row for only the first time since 2019-20. The Eagles handed Western Illinois one of its four OVC losses, 64-50 in Morehead on Jan. 27.
The game can also be heard on the Eagle Sports Radio Network (WIVY-96.3 FM flagship station as well as WGOH in Grayson, Ky.) with Chuck Mraz and Dean Hardin. It is also available on MSUEagles.com. ESPN+ has the game.
2023-24 RECORDS
MSU: 20-8, 11-4 OVC | WIU: 17-10, 10-4 OVC
THE SERIES IN DEPTH
Record vs. WIU: 4-3
First Meeting: 11/30/81 MSU won 81-73 at MSU
Last Meeting: 1/27/24 MSU won 64-50 at MSU
Streak: MSU, 3 games
Record vs. WIU in Macomb, Ill.: 1-2
Record vs. WIU in Morehead: 3-1
Neutral Record: 0-0
NOTABLE
• Morehead State, the OVC's only remaining team in Kentucky, is easily the winningest Division I MBB program in the state in the past four seasons with 88 wins. In that span, MSU has 11 more wins than the next closest, University of Kentucky (see chart page 2).
• The Eagle program now has nine 20+ win seasons in the last 15 seasons.
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Drew Thelwell became the winningest individual player in program history Feb. 10 vs. Eastern Illinois with 88. He broke Terrence Hill's record of 87 from 2008-09 to 2011-12.
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Drew Thelwell has 103 assists against OVC opponents. Only two other league players have 100+ for the whole season. Thelwell has 181 total assists this year, easily leading the league and ranking sixth nationally. Thelwell needs just 26 more assists to set the MSU single-season record of 204 (Nik Stojokovic 2007-08).
• MSU now has four straight 20+ win seasons, which has never happened before in MSU history.
• MSU has also now won double digit OVC games in four consecutive seasons, marking just the second time in program history for 4 straight 10+ win OVC seasons (2007-08 through 2011-12).
• Morehead State ranks second in the conference in rebound margin at +8.9, only behind the opponent Western Illinois. MSU has been out-rebounded by double digits in the last two games.
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Riley Minix has won five OVC Player of the Week and six Newcomer of the Week honors. He has been bestowed both awards in the same week five times. Minix is the conference's leading scorer on average, putting in 20.3 per outing.
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Riley Minix has six consecutive games with a double-double and now 15 for the season. Its the most double-doubles in a year since Johni Broome's 22 in 2021-22. The MSU record is 29 in a season by Kenneth Faried in 2010-11.
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Riley Minix is now only the third MSU player in the last 10 seasons (Jordan Walker 2018-19, Johni Broome 2021-22) to score 500+ in a season. He is shooting to become the first Eagle since Ricky Minard in 2003-04 to average 20.0+ in a season. Minix's 568 points is the 16th best single-season total in program history.
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Riley Minix needs just 32 points to become only the eighth player in program history to record a 600+-point season.
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Riley Minix has 14 20+ point efforts this season, including nine of the last 10 games, and has now scored 2,616 career collegiate points to go along with 1,316 career rebounds. He has also scored 30+ twice this year.
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Riley Minix has recorded 73 career double-doubles in his time at MSU (OVC-best 15) and Southeastern (Fla.) (58). An NAIA All-American, Minix was also the 2022-23 NAIA Academic All-American of the Year.
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Kalil Thomas has made 145 career three-pointers in just his two seasons at MSU, which ranks tied for 10th on the program career list. In his career, Thomas has drained 239 triples.
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Kalil Thomas needs only 15 more three-pointers made to set the MSU single-season mark, held by Maze Stallworth with 95 in 2009-10. His 81 triples this year is the fifth best single-season mark in program history.
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Jordan Lathon made his return to the lineup vs. USI after missing the previous four games. He scored 13 points. He has 18 double-figure scoring games and 10 games with 20+.
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Eddie Ricks III,
Dieonte Miles and
Riley Minix all have 30+ blocked shots. This is first season since at least 2000-01 the Eagles have three players with 30+ blocks.
