Women's hoops fought back from a 10-point deficit with 8:00 remaining in the fourth quarter to take down the UT Martin 70-68 at the Ford Center Wednesday to advance in the OVC Tournament.
The Eagles had four players score in double figures, led by Sophie Benharouga, who had 18 points, six rebounds and two steals. Veronica Charles tacked on 15 points and two steals and Hallie Rhodes helped out with 13 points.
Jayden Rhodes pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Morehead State, grabbing 12 boards and turning them into 12 second chance points.
Morehead State forced 15 UT Martin turnovers. The Eagles turned those takeaways into 18 points on the offensive end of the floor. Sandra Lin's four steals led the way for Morehead State.
The Eagles will take on fourth seeded Southeast Missouri in the quarterfinals Thursday. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 PM and can be found on ESPN+ or listened to on the Eagle Sports Radio Network.
How It Happened
After falling behind 7-2, Morehead State went on a 6-0 run with 7:51 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Hallie Rhodes, to take an 8-7 lead. The Eagles then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 20-16 advantage. Morehead State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 20 points close to the basket.
The Eagles could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 35-30.
Morehead State started to cut into the deficit after halftime, bringing it to 54-50 by the end of the third quarter. Morehead State turned three offensive rebounds into three second chance points on the way to scoring 20 total points in the quarter.
UT Martin kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 65-57 advantage before Morehead State went on a 10-0 run to seize a 67-65 lead with 1:28 to go in the contest. The Eagles held onto that lead for the rest of the game for the 70-68 win. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 16 of its 20 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» Sandra Lin notched her second double-double for the Eagles with 13 points and 10 assists.
» The Eagles rallied from a four-point 54-50 third quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» The Morehead State defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Morehead State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Sophie Benharouga led the Eagles with 18 points.
» Morehead State got a game-high 10 rebounds from Jayden Rhodes.