Despite sophomore forward Ellie Jo Johnson recording her first-career double-double and junior gaurd Jazzmyn Elston posting her fourth consecutive double-figure scoring effort, the Morehead State Women's Basketball team fell to Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Kentucky, 64-58, on Saturday evening at McBrayer Arena.
The Eagles began the game by taking a 15-9 lead after one quarter and eventually grew their lead to 21-11 with 8:26 remaining in the second. Not to be ran off their home floor, the Colonels responded with a swift 20-1 run over the next 4:26 and eventually led 36-27 at halftime.
During its run in the second quarter, Eastern Kentucky hit 8-of-17 (.470) shots from the field and knocked down 5-of-9 (.555) three-point baskets. Morehead State's second quarter began with a three-point swish by junior Jazzmyn Elston, however, that three became one of the teams four makes the remainder of the stanza.
The Colonels continued to keep the Eagles at arm's length in the second half as their lead never dwindled under five points until a pair of free throw line makes by freshman guard Tomiyah Alford with 1:27 remaining in the game.
EKU's Terri Goodlett, who finished with 12 points and six assists, closed the game out at the free throw stripe with 1:18 remaining to help her team hang on for the six-point win.
Along with Goodlett, Colonels' forward's Bria Bass and Catie Kaifes scored in double-figures. Bass led the team with 14 while Kaifes scored 13 points and made 3-of-6 shots from beyond the arc.
Elston, a 5-foot-9 Rossville, Ga., native, registered a game-high 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting. The newcomer by way of State Fair (Mo.) wraps up her inaugural tour of the OVC by averaging a team-best 13.1 points per game.
Freshman Ariel Kirkwood seconded Elston's scoring with 11 points while Johnson turned in a 10-point, 11-rebound game.
The game finishes the 2019-20 season for both Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky as they will not finish in the top-eight of the OVC standing to qualify for the conference's tournament. The 2020 OVC Tournament will be played without the Eagles for the first time since 2016 while the Colonels are absent for the third consecutive season.
With the loss, Eastern Kentucky closes the season with an 11-18 overall record and a 6-12 finish to league play.
Morehead State finishes its campaign with a 10-20 record and a similar 6-12 OVC record. The final record ends the program's three-season streak of 21-plus wins from 2016-2019.
With the season ending, the Eagles bid farwell to seniors Breuna Jackson, Jaleesa Avery, and Orlandra Humphries. Jackson lettered four years and was apart of two WNIT qualifying teams and three-straight twenty-win seasons. Humphries and Avery, which transferred to Morehead State from junior colleges, were key contributers for the teams 24-11 finish to the 2018-19 season which ended in the second round of the WNIT after defeating top-seed Ohio State to earn the program's first postseason victory.
