BOX SCORE
EVANSVILLE, IN -- Morehead State men's basketball is the first Division I team to officially put its dancing shoes on. Riley Minix collected 26 points and Drew Thelwell added 21 as the Eagles defeated Little Rock 69-55 in the OVC Tournament Championship game at the Ford Center Saturday night.
The OVC co-champion and third-seeded Eagles defeated the second and top seeds on back to back nights to win the program's second OVC title in the last four seasons. The 26th victory of the season set a program record for wins as the Eagles head into March Madness at 26-8. MSU enters the NCAA field with six consecutive wins.
The Eagles had three players score in double figures, led by Minix, who had 26 points for the second straight game, seven rebounds and two steals. Thelwell tacked on 21 points and two steals and Kalil Thomas helped out with 13 points, four assists and three steals.
Minix became the fourth player in program history to eclipse 700 points for a season and now ranks third in season points with 706. Minix was named tournament MVP as well as all-tournament along with Thelwell and Thomas.
The Morehead State offense made hay from three-point land, knocking down nine threes on 24 attempts. Thomas hit three treys for the Eagles in the contest, upping his program record single-season mark to 103 triples.
How It Happened
After playing to a 4-4 tie, Morehead State went on a 17-0 run with 15:45 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Jordan Lathon, to take a 21-4 lead. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 32-27 advantage. Morehead State capitalized on seven Little Rock turnovers in the period, turning them into 10 points on the other end of the floor.
The Trojans proceeded to tie things up at 39-39 before Morehead State went on an 8-0 run to seize a 47-39 lead with 10:36 to go in the contest. The Eagles kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 69-55 win. Morehead State shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting six shots from deep to score 18 of its 37 points.
Game Notes
» Morehead State found success from three point land, knocking down nine treys in the game.
»
Riley Minix,
Drew Thelwell, and
Kalil Thomas combined to account for 87 percent of the Eagles points.
» Morehead State had a 33-27 edge on the boards in the win.
»
Riley Minix had a game-high 26 points and
Drew Thelwell added 21.
» Morehead State got a game-high seven rebounds from
Riley Minix.
Up Next
Selection Sunday.
