CHARLESTON, Ill. -- George Marshall scored a game-high 23 points, and
Davion Cunningham nailed two crucial contested shots as the shot clocked expired late in the second half, scoring 19 points, as Morehead State Men's Basketball escaped Charleston, Ill., with a 73-70 triumph over Eastern Illinois Thursday night at Groniger Arena.
MSU (16-12/12-5 OVC) saw Marshall score 14 in the second half and Cunningham add 13 in the final half as the Eagles hung on to defeat a pesky Panther (11-17/7-10 OVC) squad that nearly rallied from 10 points down in the final 1:10. MSU won its sixth straight game at EIU and swept the season series.
After the teams could not separate by more than four points apiece in the first 15 minutes of the final half, MSU had a 10-0 run - the first eight points eight by Marshall - to pull ahead 66-56 with 3:01 remaining. The lead remained at 10 with 1:10 left when Cunningham rose above three defenders and hit a 15-foot jumper as the shot clock expired as MSU led 70-60.
But, EIU's Markus Blackwell drained a triple with 44 seconds left after the home team forced a held ball turnover in front of its bench. Zion Fruster then hit a jumper with 27 seconds left following a missed one-and-one free throw by Cunningham. After Marshall hit one of two free tosses, Blackwell struck again with eight ticks left on a three-ball, and it was a one-point game (71-70). Fruster missed everything on a three-point attempt with one second left, and Cunningham also hit one of two free throws to make it 73-70.
Chase Dawson intercepted EIU's final full court pass to ice the win.
MSU led 22-9 with 10:55 left in the first half but only managed one field in the next nine minutes as EIU rallied ahead. But, a layup by
Jon Carroll and a breakaway dunk by Cunninghgam with three ticks left gave the visitors a 29-28 halftime lead.
Marshall and Cunningham combined to hit 17-of-21 field goals, while Marshall hit four three-pointers. Cunningham also led the Eagles with four assists. For the second straight game Morehead State, which leads the OVC in field goal accuracy, shot better than 50 percent. The Eagles hit 53 percent and out-rebounded the Panthers 31-29.
Fruster's 18 points led the home squad, while Meechie White had 13 points and six assists before fouling out.
MSU finishes its Illinois road trip on Saturday at Western Illinois. Tip-off is at 4:30 p.m. ET.
