Seniors KaramMashour and Billy Reader registered their first Division I double-doubles to power the Morehead State men's basketball team to a 70-57 victory at Southeast Missouri on Thursday night (Jan. 8) at the Show Me Center.
The Eagles improve to 6-11 overall, 1-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 3-6 on the road. The Redhawks slip to 7-9 overall, 1-2 in league action and 5-2 at home. MSU also improves to 26-17 in the all-time series with its third straight win over SEMO.
"I challenged our young men heading into this game, and they responded," Head Coach Sean Woods said. "We were short-handed (due to injuries), but we overcame that adversity. Our guys played hard tonight. They showed a lot of grit and toughness."
Mashour connected on 7-of-14 from the field en route to career highs of 15 points and 13 rebounds. He had 11 points and nine boards in the opening half. Reader knocked down 6-of-13 from the floor on his way to 12 points and a career-best 11 rebounds.
Morehead State posted a 44-35 rebounding edge, including 20-8 on the offensive glass. The Eagles notched advantages of 16-5 in steals, 11-7 in assists 44-26 in paint points and 20-5 in second-chance points. MSU also had 20 more field-goal attempts than SEMO.
Senior Kareem Storey finished with 13 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals. He tied a season high in points, while setting a career best in steals. Junior Brent Arrington added 12 points and five steals for the Eagles, who only used eight players.
Morehead State senior Angelo Warner, junior Lyonell Gaines and freshman Marquel Willis were all sidelined due to injury. All three are expected to return this season.
"Karam, Billy and Kareem all had big performances for us tonight," Woods said. "We didn't play a perfect game, but we did what was necessary to get a road win against a very good OVC basketball team. We showed a lot of hustle, toughness and the will to win."
Southeast Missouri junior Isiah Jones netted a game-best 20 points on 8-of-15 from the field. He also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore Antonius Cleveland was credited with a club-best three steals, while no Redhawks reached three assists.
Morehead State used an early 10-0 run to gain control. The Eagles manufactured a 13-4 spurt early in the second half to snag a lead it never relinquished. MSU led for more than 32 minutes in the affair. SEMO got no closer than three points down the stretch.
Morehead State continues league action on Saturday at UT Martin. The Eagle and Skyhawk women open the doubleheader at 5 p.m., with the men to follow.
"Saturday is another big one for us," Woods added. "We need to continue to produce from an energy and effort standpoint. We also need to work on our offensive efficiency. We had a great defensive effort tonight, but we need to become more consistent with our scoring."
