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WBBvsEIU-UPDATE

Eagle Women Look to Extend Win Streak to Three against Eastern Illinois

1/23/2026 11:23:00 AM

By: Dean Hardin, Athletic Media Relations
GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE PAGE (Links to Live Audio, Live Video, Live Stats)
 
Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State's women's basketball team wraps up the week Saturday when it hosts Eastern Illinois in Johnson Arena. Tipoff has been moved up to 10:00 a.m. ET, due to the impending winter storm predicted to affect large area of the southern and eastern United States.
 
The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Network with Tom Lewis and Wes Holland on the call. It can be seen on ESPN+ with Jared Stacy and Dean Hardin describing the action.
 
Morehead State is coming off a 63-53 victory over Western Illinois Thursday night in Johnson Arena. Violet McNece led four Eagle in double figures setting a new career high with 18 points. McNece hit seven of her nine shots from the field including four of her six three-point attempts. Kate Dike finished with 17 points. Laura Toffali and Marie Sepp added 13 points apiece. Sepp notched her first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds.
 
Eastern Illinois lost 73-57 at Southern Indiana Thursday. The injury-ridden Panthers were able to dress only nine players for the game. Sydney-James Desroches led the Panthers with 14 points and nine rebounds. Nyah Hardy added 12 points. Ava Stoller and Cara Glad chipped in nine points apiece. EIU committed 21 turnovers in the game. Southern Indiana dominated 46-20 in points in the paint.
 
RECORDS/STREAK
 
Morehead State           11-9, 6-3 OVC/ W 2
Eastern Illinois              3-17, 2-7 OVC/ L 3
 
 
SERIES
 
Record vs. EIU:                 23-26
Last Meeting:                   MSU won 62-61 (2/22/25) in Morehead
First Meeting:                   EIU won 65-57 (1/11/97) in Charleston
Streak:                               MSU, 1 game
Record in Morehead:      13-12
Record in Charleston:     10-14
Record at Neutral Sites: 0-0
 
 
NOTABLE
  • Morehead State ranks seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference averaging 65.5 points per game. The Eagles rank eighth in the conference allowing 66.5 points per game.
  • MSU ranks 7th in the OVC with a -2.9 rebounding margin.
  • Morehead State went 7-23 (30%) from three-point range Thursday against Western Illinois. The Eagles have put up 524 treys so far this season, the most in the OVC. Their 26.2 attempts per game rank 26th in the country. In conference play, the Eagles rank second in the OVC averaging 21.6 three-pointers per game behind Tennessee Tech who is averaging hoisting up 25 treys per game. Eastern Illinois is ranked third right behind the Eagles at 21.3 threes attempted.
  • Opponents have attempted more treys than Morehead State in just seven games this season. The Eagles' record in those games is 3-4, all three wins have come against OVC foes: at Lindenwood Jan. 1, at SIUE Jan. 3, and Saturday at Tennessee Tech.
  • Morehead State set the Ohio Valley Conference record for three-point attempts in the 2009-10 season, when the Eagles let 981 treys fly. The Eagles made 340 of those shots, also a school record. MSU's accuracy from distance was 34.7% that season.
  • The Eagles rank 5th in the OVC hitting 29.6% from three-point range. Kate Dike leads MSU at 19-51 (37.3%) from beyond the arc. Violet McNece ranks 10th in the OVC with 31 made three-pointers this season (31-85-36.5%).   Anja Ekstrom ranks 14th in the OVC with 28 made three-pointers.
  • Morehead State committed a season-low nine turnovers Thursday against Western Illinois. The Eagles are averaging 17 turnovers per game. Eastern Illinois comes into the game averaging 18.4 miscues per game.
  • MSU was excellent at the free throw line Thursday against Western Illinois, going 16-18 (89%), the second-highest percentage of the season. The Eagles hit 13-14 (93%) in their 67-49 win over UT Martin on January 8 in Johnson Arena. Morehead State ranks ninth in the OVC with 68.6% accuracy from the line this season.
  • In conference play, MSU is averaging 71.7% from the line, ranking ninth in the OVC.
  • Josefine Enander has yet to miss from the free throw line: she is 6-6 at the stripe. Anja Ekstrom (6-8) missed both of her attempts last Saturday at Tennessee Tech to break her perfect streak.   Landon Forbes has gone 23-27 (85%) and Violet McNece is 18-22 (82%) from the line this season. Irene Fernandez Pavesio has gone 6-7.
  • Kate Dike leads Morehead State averaging 14.8 points (6th in the OVC) and 6.9 rebounds (7th in the OVC) per game. She notched her sixth double-double of the season last Thursday with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at Tennessee State. She poured in 17 points Thursday in MSU's win over Western Illinois.
  • Dike is shooting 51.2% from the field; that ranks third in the OVC.
  • Laura Toffali is second on the team averaging 12.2 points per game (16th in the OVC).
  • Toffali ranks second in the OVC (and 37th in the country) with 55 steals (2.75 per game) behind Southern Indiana's Shannon Blacher, who averages 2.83 steals per outing. Toffali had four steals last Thursday at Tennessee State. She had nine steals against Kentucky Christian on Dec. 28, believed to be the program record.
  • Marie Sepp leads the OVC averaging 4.9 assists per game. Morehead State ranks second in the OVC averaging 14.4 assists per game.
  • Sepp notched her first double-double of the season Thursday against Western Illinois with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She posted the Eagles' first triple-double in a decade in Morehead State's 85-78 loss to Murray State December 3. The senior from Estonia posted 12 points, 10 rebounds and set a career-high with 13 assists.
  •  Sepp matched her season-high with 21 points last Saturday at Tennessee Tech. She shot 8-13 from the floor and 4-6 from the free throw line. She is the third Eagle averaging in double figures, scoring 11.1 points per game.
  • In conference play, Morehead State has posted a 5-1 record when Sepp scored in double figures. The Eagles are 1-2 when she has not scored 10+ points in conference play.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

Eastern Illinois is coached by Marqus McGlothan, who is in his second season as the head coach of the Panthers and his fourth season in Charleston. He has a record of 21-29. He is 1-1 against Morehead State.
  
The Panthers have been beset with injuries this season: only two players have appeared in all 20 games for the Panthers this season.
 
  • Junior Ava Stoller leads the Panthers averaging 12.5 points per game ranking tied for 12th in the OVC.  She started her career at SIUE where she played the last two seasons. She has had some success against Morehead State: last year in Edwardsville, Stoller posted a season-high 17 points. Her freshman season, she posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
  • Stoller ranks third in the OVC hitting 88.7% from the free throw line. She leads EIU averaging 3.2 assists per game, which ranks seventh in the OVC.
  • Sydney-James Desroches started 28 games last season but has been limited to just nine games this season. She missed most of November and all of December, returning to the Panther lineup on New Year's Day at Southeast Missouri and put up a career-high 20 points. Thursday at Southern Indiana, she led the Panthers with 14 points and nine rebounds. Last Thursday at Little Rock, she posted her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
 
 
 
 
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