BOX SCORE
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. --The Morehead State women's basketball team got a 22-point performance from the bench on the way to a 65-53 win against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on the road Saturday.
The Eagles (11-10, 6-4 OVC) had two players score in double figures, led by Veronica Charles, who had 19 points and five steals. It marked her 10th straight game scoring 10+ and tied her season high in takeaways. Hallie Rhodes tacked on 14 points and eight rebounds and Blessing King added four points, 13 rebounds and three steals.
King pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Morehead State, grabbing 11 boards.
The Morehead State defense was a problem in Saturday's game, forcing 19 Tennessee Tech turnovers while committing 16. Those takeaways turned into 16 points on the offensive end of the floor.
MSU also stymied Tech's offensive effort as the Golden Eagles shot just 29 percent.
How It Happened
After falling behind 5-4, Morehead State went on an 8-0 run with 7:43 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Jayden Rhodes, to take a 12-5 lead. Tennessee Tech then responded to tie things up at 23-23 heading into the second quarter. Morehead State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 23 points close to the basket.
Morehead State turned the first quarter tie into a 29-25 lead before going on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Hallie Rhodes, to increase its lead to 35-25. The Golden Eagles cut into that lead, but the Eagles still enjoyed a 35-27 advantage heading into halftime. Morehead State dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 12 points close to the basket.
Morehead State wasted no time building on its lead, going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Charles, to expand its lead further to 40-27 with 9:09 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Eagles added four points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 51-34 edge. Morehead State played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 16 points in the paint.
The Eagles then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 14 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Eagles held the Golden Eagles to only 29.3 percent shooting from the field.
» Morehead State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Morehead State bench came alive by adding 22 points to its scoring output.
» Morehead State had a 38-36 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Morehead State defense forced 19 turnovers.
» Morehead State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
Up Next
MSU returns home this week to take on SIUE Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
