Morehead State senior guard Almesha Jones tied a 34-year-old single-game assist record to lead three Morehead State players with double-doubles as the Eagle women's basketball team raced past Brescia (Ky.) 98-68 Monday (Nov. 24) at Johnson Arena.
The Ohio Valley Conference Eagles halted a two-game losing skid and improved to 3-2. The Bearcats, who play in the NAIA Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, slipped to 2-6.
Jones tied Irene Moore's single-game record, set in 1980, with a career-best 16 assists. She also stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and added a season-best six steals. Senior forward Casey Ryans netted a season-best 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes, while freshman forward Eriel McKee, who missed the previous three games, totaled 13 points and 10 boards.
Sophomore forward Shay Steele scored 18 of her team-high 21 points in the first half. She also collected three blocked shots.
"Anytime all five of your starters score in double figures and your lowest is 13 while your highest is 21, you have great balance," Head Coach Greg Todd said.
Senior guard Maiki Viela rounded out the starters with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 25 minutes.
"We were very pleased with our starting five, but we also had players like Mackenzie Arledge and Natalie Greenwell come in give us good minutes," Todd added. "Mackenzie really battled hard for her 15 minutes, and Natalie had some bad luck shooting the ball and had some go in and out, but she still finished in double figures."
Greenwell tied a season-high with 10 points, while Arledge grabbed a season-best seven rebounds.
Morehead State corralled a season-best 60 rebounds, holding a 60-32 advantage on the glass. That marked the highest rebound total since matching that number against Tennessee Tech on Feb. 6, 2010.
Jones' effort propelled the Eagles to a season-best 28 assists. They also swiped 17 steals, shot 50 percent (41-of-82) for the contest, outscored the Bearcats 64-14 in the paint and won the fast-break point battle, 20-0.
Brescia canned 11 three-pointers, led by seven from guard Julie Whitfill. She finished with a game-best 24 points. Haley Cook came off the bench for 16 markers. Brescia shot 37 percent (25-of-67) overall.
Morehead State led 46-27 at the half and then pushed its lead to 87-52 late in the second half.
The Eagles host Lipscomb Saturday as part of a doubleheader. The game is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. following the men versus Kentucky Christian at 2 p.m.
