Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State trailed by 19 at the half but mounted a furious rally in third quarter but ultimately lost to Ohio 76-60 Thursday afternoon in the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. Morehead State (1-2) was led by
Marie Sepp with 13 points.
Anja Ekstrom finished with 12 and
Laura Toffali added 10.
Trailing 37-18 at the half, MSU mounted a rally in the third quarter. The Eagles went on a 15-0 run over 4:24 of game time to cut the Bobcat lead to 43-41. In the rally, MSU hit eight of nine from the field and forced four OU turnovers.
The Eagles started the fourth quarter on a five-point run capped by Toffali's free throw with 8:15 to go in the game to pull within one at 52-51. The Bobcats responded with a 5-0 run followed by a nine-point run to pull away. Â
Ohio (2-1) was led by Aliah McWhorter with 18 points, Bailey Tabeling finished with 15 and Gigi Bower added 13.
Both teams got off to a slow start with each team shooting just 29% in the first quarter. The Eagles were hampered by eight turnovers and trailed 16-10 after the first 10 minutes. Ohio expanded their lead in the second quarter, taking advantage of 10 MSU turnovers for 10 points off turnovers and held the Eagles to just 23% from the floor.
Morehead State gets back to action next Wednesday when they travel to Louisville. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET. The game be heard on the Eagle Sports Network with Tom Lewis and Wes Holland on the call. The matchup can also be seen on ACCN.
NOTABLE
- Morehead State shot 10-42 from three-point range (24%), setting a program record for most threes taken against a Division I opponent. The school record for most treys taken was set on December 18, 2013, when MSU went 19-44 (both records) against Berea College.
- Morehead State committed 22 turnovers to 17 for Ohio. The Bobcats finished with a 22-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
- Ohio shot 22-29 (76%) from the free throw line; MSU made six of their 15 tries (40%) from the charity stripe. MSU was whistled for 25 personal fouls, Ohio was called for 14 fouls.
- The Eagles were out-rebounded 52-37. OU had a 15-7 advantage in offensive boards, and outscored MSU 13-2 in second-chance points.