Graduate forward Mckenzie Calvert scored 27 points, and senior guard Miranda Crockett added 23 as the Morehead State women's basketball earned a 79-72 win over Radford on Saturday afternoon at the Dedmon Center.
Calvert nailed 11-of-13 shots from the field and finished 4-for-5 from the charity stripe to produce her highest point total since becoming an Eagle. The Schertz, Texas, native' 27-point outing was just three-points shy of her career high of 30 which came against UC Riverside on December 21, 2016 while playing for Kansas.
"McKenzie gave us a great boost today," said Morehead State head coach Greg Todd. "She did a good job creating good looks at the basket and was able to turn those looks into points."
The Eagles charged out of the gates hot against the Highlanders, leading by as many as 17 points in the first half and hitting 17-of-34 (.500) shots from the field. Morehead State also managed just two turnovers in the half, setting a new season-low for turnovers in any half.
"We came out with great confidence," said Todd. "I thought our team was focused and it showed in our execution early against a good defensive team."
Radford continued to battle, cutting the 17-point deficit to 11 on a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining in the half before junior guard Aliyah Jeune nailed a step-back triple just before the horn to give the Eagles a 42-28 advantage at the break.
Jeune finished with 15 points, making two triples while also assisting two baskets and swiping a pair of steals.
In the second half, the Highlanders began to try to chip away at the Morehead State lead but the Eagles seemed to always find an answer.
The home squad rallied to just a four-point margin with 3:20 remaining in the third after Destinee Walker sank a triple, but senior guard Crystal Simmons-Cozar answered on the next possession with three of her own to extend the MSU advantage back to seven.
In the fourth quarter, Radford managed to trim the Eagles' lead to 1 at 62-61 as Walker made a layup with 5:30 remaining. Crockett responded with back-to-back buckets to jumpers to help her team begin to pull away for win.
Walker finished as the Highlanders leading scorer with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
Crockett's 23 points marks her 11th of the season and 16th game in-a-row, dating back to the 2017-18 season, with double-figures scoring.
"This was a tough test from a very good team and I'm just proud of the way we pulled out the victory," said Todd.
Radford falls to an even 4-4 record with the loss.
The Eagles improved to 8-3 overall with their third road win of the season.
Morehead State plays its final of a three-game road swing on Wednesday at Saint Francis (Pa.). The Eagles and Red Flash tip-off at 6:00 p.m. ET from Degol Arena in Loretto, Pa.
