MSU Women Outlast SIUE 54-49 On Dike's 29/10 Double/Double

Morehead, Ky. -- The Morehead State women's basketball team rode a big afternoon by Kate Dike and outlasted SIUE 54-49 to even their Ohio Valley Conference record to 2-2 Saturday afternoon at the First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Illinois.
 
Dike, who posted her fourth double-double of the season, and the fifth of her career, with 29 points and 10 rebounds to pace Morehead State (7-8, 2-2 OVC). Marie Sepp finished with 15 points, hitting seven of her 11 field goal attempts.
 
The Eagles shot over 50% from the floor for the third straight contest, but struggled from three-point range, hitting just one of their season-low 11 attempts. The MSU defense again was strong, holding the Cougars just 29% (15-52) from the floor.
 
SIUE (8-6, 1-3 OVC) was paced by Lauren Miller with 13 points. She hit seven of her eight free throw attempts. Cougar leading scorer Kiyoko Proctor finished with 11 points.  
 
Morehead State went into the final quarter ahead 35-29. The Eagles opened the final period hitting their first four shots from the floor but three turnovers in the opening three minutes hampered the Eagles effort. The Cougars cut the Eagle lead to three at 41-38 with just under six minutes to play. The MSU edge expanded to seven with a Dike layup at 3:38. Dike was whistled for a technical foul in the aftermath of the play.

SIUE responded with a six-point run capped by a pair of Adebukola Akomolafe free throw to make the score 47-46 with 2:37 to go. MSU rallied and sealed the win hitting three of four free throws down the stretch. The Eagles were sharp from the floor, hitting seven of 10 from the field.
 
Morehead State fell behind to begin the game 10-2, hitting just two of their first seven shots from the floor. The Eagles bounced back by hitting five of the next eight shots and holding SIUE scoreless over the final 4:35 of play in the quarter. An 11-point run to close out the period put MSU up 15-12 at the quarter break. Dike paced the Eagles with nine points and three rebounds in the opening ten minutes, as the Eagles shot 50% (7-15) in the frame.
 
Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter. SIUE outscored MSU 6-5 in the quarter. The Cougars shot 2-12 (17%) from the floor while the Eagles made two of their nine attempts from the floor (22%). Sepp made a layup off of a steal at the buzzer to put the Eagles ahead 20-18 at the intermission. Similar to the opening quarter, SIUE failed to score in the final 4:31 of the half.
 
The Eagles opened the second half hitting five of their first eight shots and used a 10-2 quarter-opening run to move ahead 30-22. Dike paced the Eagles with nine points in the period including Morehead State's first three-pointer of the game at the 3:08 mark. MSU hit seven of their 11 shots (64%), outscoring the Cougars 15-11 in the frame.
 
The Eagles return home Thursday when they host UT Martin in Johnson Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET. The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Network, and can be watched on ESPN+.
 
NOTABLE
 

• Led by Dike, Morehead State dominated inside with a 44-14 advantage in points in the paint.
• Morehead State won the battle on boards 30-29; the third straight game MSU has out-rebounded their opponent. It was the fifth game this season Dike posted double figure rebounds.
• Despite an 11-5 deficit in offensive rebounds, MSU held a 7-4 edge in second-chance points.
• Morehead State matched their season average with 18 turnovers to 14 for SIUE. The Cougars edged the Eagles 12-11 in points off turnovers.
• Morehead State went just 7-13 (54%) from the free throw line, while SIUE made 14 of 16 (88%).