Eagle Women Battle to the End, Fall to SEMO 60-55

Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State senior Marie Sepp tried to carry the Eagles on her back on a day when the shooting was cold, but Morehead State fell 60-55 to Southeast Missouri in the quarter finals of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament in the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana Thursday.
 
Sepp poured in a game-high 17 points, hitting seven of her career-high 19 field goal attempts and hit both of her free throws. Fellow senior Kate Dike added 11 in her final appearance in an MSU uniform.
 
After a nip-and-tuck third quarter, Morehead State (18-14) went up 52-47 on a Circe Rubio Remolar layup with 6:12 to go in the game. SEMO answered with a 7-0 run to take the lead, 54-52. Dike hit a turnaround in the lane with 1:50 to play to snap a 4:22 field goal drought and give the Eagles to give the lead at 55-52.
 
Southeast Missouri (14-17) went six of six from the free throw line down the stretch to post the final margin. MSU finished the game hitting one of their last nine field goal tries.
 
SEMO was led by Kearra Jones with 15 points. Ainaya Williams added 11 for the Redhawks, who will advance to take on the top-seed Western Illinois tomorrow afternoon.
 
Morehead State led for all but the first 1:59 in the first half. The Eagles forced 10 Redhawk turnovers in the first 20 minutes, turning them into 10 points. The shooting was difficult all day for Morehead State; the Eagles shot six of 15 (40%) from the floor in both periods of the first half.
 
After hitting just three of eight in the first quarter, SEMO heated up in the second frame, going six of 11 (55%) from the floor and hit three of their six three-pointers. MSU led 31-29 going into the intermission.
 
Neither team could find the range in the third quarter, which featured four lead changes. SEMO shot 28% from the floor in the quarter, while MSU hit 31% from the field.

NOTABLE

• Morehead State shot 22-60 (37%) from the floor for the game and 23% (5-22) from three-point range. Southeast Missouri went 19-47 (40%) from the floor and shot 41% (7-17) from beyond the arc.
• Morehead State won the rebounding battle 38-31. MSU had a 5-0 edge in second chance points.
• Morehead State hit 6-10 at the free throw line, while Southeast Missouri went 15-19 (79%), including hitting all eight of their free tosses in the fourth quarter.
• Morehead State committed 14 turnovers while SEMO totaled 13 miscues. Southeast Missouri had an 18-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
• There were five ties and eight lead changes in the game.
• Laura Toffali recorded two steals in the game. She ended the season with 96 steals a new schooll record, one more than MSU great Chynna Bozeman for the most thefts in a season in program history.
• Ashton Feldhaus guided the Eagles to 18 wins and an eight-win improvement in her first season with the program. That's the most for a first-year head coach in the program since Tom Hodges guided the 2010-11 squad to 21 wins.
• MSU's 64.8 points per game allowed is the lowest since the 2009-10 season.
• Morehead State's 251 three-pointers is the most since the 2009-10 season.