Another lock-down effort on defense, plus four double-figure scorers on the offensive end of the floor, propelled Morehead State men's basketball to its fifth consecutive win, a 64-50 triumph at Southeast Missouri, Saturday night at the Show Me Center.
Morehead State improved to 6-2 in the OVC, its best eight-game league start since being 7-1 in 2009-10. The Eagles also completed the program's first-ever sweep of the road trip that includes Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri. Today's game was originally scheduled to be at SIUE but was postponed until Feb. 23. It also marked the first time Jan. 2-4, 2003 that Morehead State has swept an OVC road trip and won by a combined 40+ points.
The Eagles' five-game success streak is also the first time 2015-16 the program has seen a win in five straight contests. Three of the five wins have come on the road, the first overall three-game road winning streak since 2015-16 as well.
After seeing the game tied 31-all at the half, Morehead State's league-leading defense turned up the intensity in the final 20 minutes. The home team made only six of 20 field goals and shot 30 percent while scoring just 19 points. That was the lowest opponent point total for one half this season.
James Baker, Jr., the Eagles' lone senior, led the way with 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Baker is now 12-of-14 from the field in the last two games. Junior guards Skyelar Potter and DeVon Cooper each scored 11, and freshman forward Johni Broome rounded out the double figure performances with 10.
Morehead State will face SEMO for the second straight game on Thursday when the Redhawks visit Johnson Arena for a 7 p.m. ET game slated to air on ESPNU. SEMO has a make-up game scheduled for Tuesday at Tennessee State.
