GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE PAGE (LINKS TO LIVE AUDIO, LIVE VIDEO AND LIVE STATS)
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Heading into crunch time in the Ohio Valley Conference race, Morehead State's men's basketball crew heads to the Land of Lincoln this week. The first challenge comes Thursday as the Eagles face Eastern Illinois at Groniger Arena at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The game will air on ESPN+, along with a variety of stations on the Gray Media Network, including WKYT 27.3 in Lexington. Fans can listen to the Eagle Sports Radio Network with Chuck Mraz and
Matt Schabert on WIVY-96.3 FM (flagship station), on WMST 106.9 FM, WPKE 98.1 in Pikeville, WPRT 104.5 in Prestonsburg or on MSUEagles.com.
The series with Eastern Illinois has tightened recently as MSU has won nine of the last 11 meetings against the Panthers, including a 73-68 win at home on Jan. 24. MSU has won five straight meetings in Charleston as well.
Eastern Illinois comes into the week with momentum, having defeated Little Rock at home last Saturday by six. The Panthers are 9-4 in Groniger Arena this season.
2025-26 RECORDS
MSU: 15-12, 11-5 OVC | EIU: 11-16, 7-9 OVC
SERIES INFORMATION
Record vs. EIU: 25-27
First Meeting: 12/14/81 MSU won 79-77 at MSU
Last Meeting: 1/24/26 MSU won 73-68 at MSU
Streak: MSU, W1
Record vs. EIU in Charleston, Ill.: 10-15
Record vs. EIU in Morehead: 15-12
Neutral Record: 0-0
LAST 5 GAMES
1/11/24 Charleston, Ill W 78-52
2/10/24 MOREHEAD, KY. W 69-57
1/23/25 Charleston, Ill. W 73-66
2/22/25 MOREHEAD, KY. L 67-62
1/24/26 MOREHEAD, Ky. W 73-68
NOTABLE
•
Chase Dawson led the charge with 18 points in the first meeting with EIU, a 73-68 MSU win in Johnson Arena on Jan. 24.
Anouar Mellouk posted a double-double with 12 points and still his career high, 11 rebounds.
• MSU has clinched a spot in the eight-team OVC Tournament coming up on March 4-7 in Evansville, Ind.
• MSU has won seven games this season where it trailed at halftime, easily the most comebacks after 20 minutes in the past six seasons.
• Morehead State leads the OVC in assist/turnover ratio (1.1) and field goal percentage (.465). The Eagles also rank No. 1 in the league in effective field goal percentage (where three-pointers are weighed more heavily) at .517.
• In the Eagles' 11 conference wins this year, MSU has shot 47 percent and only allowed 38 percent. In the five losses, opponents have managed to shoot 52 percent.
• MSU has won 41 straight games when its opponent scores 60 or less, since falling to No. 23-ranked Murray State on Feb. 12, 2022.
•
Jon Carroll is 37-of-45 (.820) at the free throw line in the last 10 games. He is also 33-of-52 (.634) from the field in the past six games.
•
George Marshall, Jr., now has 1,127 career points. It marks the fifth straight season an Eagle reached 1,000 career college points during the season.
•
George Marshall, Jr., ranks second among all OVC players with 95 free throws made. He has made 82 percent of his free tosses during his three-year MSU career.
•
Jon Carroll earned this week's OVC Newcomer of the Week honor after averaging 20.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per outing in the Eagles' two wins last week. Carroll ranks No. 1 in the conference in total rebounds (208).
•
Josiah LeGree posted career-highs of 25 points, seven field goals made, seven free throws made and seven fouls drawn in the win over TSU Feb. 14.
•
Chase Dawson and
Davion Cunningham have both now eclipsed 800 career collegiate points. Dawson (880) Cunningham (867) each reached or exceeded the 800 threshold vs. Western Illinois Jan. 22.
•
Vince Dawson III, known to the team as "Trip", leads MSU by hitting 42 percent from "trip" range - three-point range.
• Morehead State has scored at least 70 points in 18 games. That's tied for the second most games reaching 70 in the past 10 seasons.
• The Eagles never trailed against Tennessee Tech on Jan. 12, marking the second game this season never relinquishing a lead and the first against a Division I opponent.
•
Tamaury Releford leads MSU, hitting 63 percent of his field goal attempts.
• In conference games, MSU ranks second in the league in free throw percentage at .759.
• The Eagles boast a 10-3 record this season when they make more free throws than the opponent.
• In the past four games, MSU has shot 49 percent from the field.
• MSU has posted six straight games where its total field goals attempted was between 53 and 57.
• On the season, the Eagles have been outscored by 16 (984-968) in the first half but have outscored opponents by 24 (1,066-1,042) in the final halves.
