Senior guards Terrice Robinson and Shanice Parker each scored a team-best 14 points, and the Morehead State women's basketball team won its fourth straight game Monday (Jan. 6), defeating host SIUEdwardsville 57-53 at the Vadalabene Center.
The Eagles improved to 2-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 8-7 overall. The Cougars dipped to 4-11 overall and 1-2 in the league. It marked the first time since the middle of the 2010-11 season that MSU has won three consecutive road games. The Eagles have claimed a trio of road wins in the last seven days.
"I thought we did a nice job of playing situational and taking good shots at the right time," Head Coach Tom Hodges said. "We had some tough conditions this week with travel changes and just having our routine a little off, but we are gaining confidence in our system and gaining confidence with each other. To get our sixth road win of the season feels really good."
Despite being outscored 23-8 at the free throw line, MSU nailed 11 three pointers and only allowed 14 second-chance points off 23 SIUE offensive rebounds. The Eagles also forced 22 turnovers.
Morehead State put together an 8-0 run to grab a 22-16 lead with three minutes left in the opening half, but the hosts scored the final six to secure a 22-22 tie at the break. The Eagles hit eight shots in the opening half, and six were from long range.
MSU led 53-46 with just 1:51 left in the contest, but the hosts scored five in the next 1:20 to creep to within 53-51. Robinson and junior guard Almesha Jones, who had a game-best eight assists, combined on four free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal the win.
Parker drilled a season-high four three-pointers on seven tries and came within one of her career high. Jones added nine points and four steals, and Robinson came up with four of the Eagles' 12 steals. MSU limited SIUE to just 31 percent (15-of-49) from the floor while hitting 37 percent (19-of-51) itself. MSU was 11-of-31 from three-point distance. The Cougars won the rebounding battle, 48-27.
Morehead State hosts Eastern Kentucky Saturday (Jan. 11) as the opening game of a doubleheader. Tipoff is set for 5:15 p.m.
