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Eagle Women Look to Rebound Against Long-Time Rival Tennessee Tech Thursday

2/10/2026 6:17:00 PM

By: Dean Hardin, Athletic Media Relations
GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE PAGE (Links to Live Audio, Live Video, Live Stats)
 
Morehead, Ky.-- Morehead State returns home Thursday for an Ohio Valley Conference tilt with long-time rival Tennessee Tech in Johnson Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET. The game can be heard on the Eagle Sports Network with Tom Lewis and Wes Holland on the call. It can also be seen on ESPN+ with Jared Stacy and Dean Hardin describing the action.
 
The game will be the last between the two teams as Ohio Valley Conference foes: in August Tennessee Tech officials announced the Golden Eagles will be leaving the OVC and joining the Southern Conference at the end of the academic year. TTU joined the OVC in 1949, one year after the conference formed.
 
The Eagles, at 10-4 in conference play, come into the matchup in a tie in second place in the conference standings with Southern Indiana and Lindenwood. MSU is looking to rebound from its 64-58 loss at UT Martin last Saturday. Violet McNece tied her career high of 18 points for the second game in a row, hitting six of her nine three-point attempts. Laura Toffali added 15 and Kate Dike finished with 13 points.
 
The Eagles hit 38% from the field and 33% (10-30) from three-point range. MSU hit 10 of 14 for 71% from the free throw line.
 
Tennessee Tech is coming off a 75-70 overtime win over Eastern Illinois Saturday in Cookeville. Freshman LaReesha Cawthorn had a monster game with 27 points and 27 rebounds in the game, 14 on the offensive glass. Reagan Grimes finished with 10 points for Tech.
 
TTU shot 35% from the field and hit just three of their 20 three-point attempts. The Golden Eagles dominated on the glass 53-40, with 29 offensive rebounds. TTU had a 30-10 advantage in second chance points. EIU committed 20 turnovers to 11 for TTU, leading to a 23-11 advantage in points off turnovers for Tech.
 
Morehead State and Tech hooked up in Cookeville on January 17, with Morehead State escaping with a 67-66 win, with a Toffali free throw with 0.9 remaining clinching the victory. Kate Dike led the Eagles with 24 points and Marie Sepp added 21, her season-high.
 
MSU shot 52% from the floor and 35% from three-point range. TTU outrebounded Morehead State 35-26. Tech gathered 17 offensive rebounds and had a 22-7 advantage in second chance points. Tech had three players in double figures, led by Chloe Larry with 18.
 
RECORDS/ STREAK
 
Morehead State           15-10, 10-4 OVC/ L 1
Tennessee Tech           13-10, 6-8 OVC/ W 1
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
Record vs. TTU:                           35-67
Last Meeting:                               MSU won 67-66 (1/17/26) in Cookeville
First Meeting:                               MSU won 82-80 (2/3/78) in Morehead
Streak:                                           MSU, 1 game
Record in Morehead:                  21-26
Record in Cookeville:                  14-38
Record at Neutral Sites:              0-4
 
 
NOTABLE
  • Morehead State's 10 wins in Ohio Valley Conference play is first time since the 2018-19 season when the Eagles posted a 13-5 conference mark. That team posted an overall record of 24-11 and earned a berth in the WNIT, where they knocked off Ohio State in the opening round.
  • In the Eagles' last seven games, they have hit 78% from the free throw line. MSU is hitting free throws at a 70.5% rate this season, ranking seventh in the OVC. In conference play, MSU is averaging 74.1%, ranking sixth in the conference.
  • Landon Forbes hit 16-18 (88.9%) from the line in the last seven outings. Laura Toffali hit 29-37 (78%), Marie Sepp shot 10-13 (76.9%) and Kate Dike hit 28-37 (76%).
  • Morehead State has averaged 12.7 turnovers per game in the last seven games, well below their season average of 16.2 turnovers per game. In conference play, MSU has turned the ball over at a 15.2 turnovers per game clip, the fourth lowest rate in the OVC.
  • Morehead State averages 61.8 points per game in conference play, ranking sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Eagles average allowing 60.1 points per game in OVC games, ranking second in the league.
  • In conference games, Morehead State ranks third in the OVC, hitting 41.4% from the floor. From three-point range, the Eagles rank eighth in the conference at 29.9%.
  • Dike leads Morehead State averaging 14.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game ranking sixth in both categories in the OVC. In conference play, she ranks fifth in the league with 15.8 points per game and ranks fourth in the OVC pulling down 7.8 rebounds per game.
  • Dike ranks fifth in the OVC, hitting 49.3% from the floor. She is second on the club hitting 36.5% (23-63) from three-point range on the season. She ranks 13th in the OVC hitting 70.8% from the free throw line. Her 10 blocked shots in conference play rank tied for ninth in the OVC.
  • Toffali is averaging 12.4 points per game this season (13th in the OVC). She has scored 20+ points five times this season, setting her career-high of 24 against Eastern Kentucky November 26. Two weeks back against Eastern Illinois, she posted 22 points and a new career-high with 10 free throws.
  • Toffali leads the OVC with 73 steals. That is the 7th-highest total in program history.  It also ranks 17th in the nation. Her 2.9 steals per game rate also tops the OVC and ranks tied for 27th nationally.
  • Toffali's 68.5% free throw percentage ranks 15th in the OVC. She has hit 75.6% (59-78) from the line in conference games which ranks 13th in the OVC.
  • Sepp leads the OVC with 120 assists on the season. That ranks tied for 35th in the country. Her 4.8 assists per game average also tops the OVC and ranks tied for 46th in the nation.
  • In the last seven games, 5'-5" Sepp has averaged 6.1 rebounds per game, second only to the 6'-3" Dike on the team.
  • Morehead State is 7-1 so far in conference games when Sepp finished in double figures scoring. In games where she did not, the Eagles went 3-3.
  • Violet McNeece has found the range from three-point land: in the last seven games, she has hit 19 of 34 (55.9%) from distance. In last week's two games, she went 10 of 15. She tied her career-high 18 points in both games last week.
  • McNece has recorded 15 blocked shots this season (15th in the OVC).
  • McNece has hit 18 of 22 (81.8%) from the free throw line this season.
  • Forbes posted 18 points in MSU's win over Southeast Missouri last Thursday night, her eighth double-figure outing of the season. In conference play, she averages 7.7 points per game. In league play, she has hit 28 of 32 free throws (98%).
  • Forbes ranks third in the OVC with a 1.6 Assist to Turnover ratio in league play. She is averaging 3.2 assists per game in conference play (7th in the OVC).
  • Forbes' 46 steals rank eighth in the OVC. Her 30 steals in conference play are ranked t-6th in the conference.
 
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
 
Tennessee Tech is coached by Kim Rosamond, who is in her 10th year in Cookeville. She has a record of 169-128 at Tech. Against Morehead State, Rosamond is 9-10. Tennessee Tech ranks fourth in the OVC scoring 67.0 points per game this season. In conference games, Tech is scoring 65.7 points per game, also ranking fourth. Defensively, TTU averages allowing 62.6 points per game (7th in the OVC). In league play, the Golden Eagles are giving up 64.2 points per game (also 7th in the OVC).
 
In conference play, TTU is shooting 36.7% from the floor, ranking 10th in the league. Tech ranks last in the OVC in field goal percentage defense: opponents are hitting at a 44.6% clip against them in league play. In conference games, TTU has attempted 325 three-pointers, the most in the OVC. Tech ranks fourth in the OVC hitting treys are 30.8%.

Tech leads the conference with a +6.64 rebounding margin; they average 40.2 rebounds per game, and 16.8 offensive rebounds per game, ranking eighth in the country,
 
  • Sophomore Chloe Larry lead Tennessee Tech averaging 14.1 points per game (7th in the OVC). In conference games, she averages 15.2 points per game (7th in the OVC). Larry ranks tied for fifth in the conference, hitting 88.9% from the free throw line. She was an OVC All-Newcomer Team selection last season and was named OVC Freshman of the Week four times.
  • LaReesha Cawthorn was named OVC Player and Freshman of the Week Tuesday. She posted back-to-back double-doubles with 15 points and 14 rebounds last Thursday against Western Illinois, then blew up Eastern Illinois posting new career highs with 27 points and 27 rebounds. That rebounding total ties her for the second-highest total this season in the country. She is averaging 11 points per game this season. Her 11.7 rebounds per game average leads the OVC.
  • Reghan Grimes averages 13.6 points per game (12.3 ppg in OVC games) ranking 10th in the OVC in all games and t-14th in league play. She averages 6.4 rebounds per game (10th in the OVC).
  • Reagan Hurst ranks 18th in the OVC averaging 11.6 points per game. She ranks fifth in the OVC (and 29th nationally) hitting 87.9% from the free throw line. In conference games, she is shooting 94.4% from the charity stripe, second in the OVC only to Ali Saunders who is hitting 96.4% from the line in league games.
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