The Morehead State men's basketball team raced out to a 9-0 advantage en route to a 50-point first half and never looked back in an 86-73 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Tennessee Tech before a national-television audience on Thursday night at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles, who have won seven of their last 10 tilts, improve to 14-16 overall, 9-6 in conference action and 6-6 at home. The Golden Eagles, who have lost six of their last eight, fall to 12-17 overall, 4-11 in league play and 2-13 on the road. MSU also sweeps the season series versus TTU.
"I'm proud of our young men for getting a big win on national television," Head Coach Sean Woods said. "We established the pace and tempo early tonight. We did a good job of bothering Tennessee Tech with our pressure defense early on. We forced turnovers and converted them into points."
Morehead State is currently a No. 5 seed for the OVC Tournament, which begins Wednesday at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. With one game remaining, the Eagles can do no worse than a No. 6 seed. MSU wraps up its regular season on Saturday with Senior Day against Jacksonville State.
Tennessee Tech missed its first eight shots from the field and didn't connect on a basket until the 11:41 mark of the opening half. Morehead State, meanwhile, jumped out to scoring advantages of 13-2 and 21-6 before pushing its lead to a game-best 20 points with 3:58 before intermission.
MSU knocked down 57 percent (16-of-28) from the floor in the first period and 53 percent (28-of-53) for the contest. TTU recovered to connect on 46 percent (11-of-24) from the field in the first 20 minutes and 44 percent (22-of-50) for the night. Both teams drilled 26 free-throw attempts.
"Tennessee Tech made some adjustments at halftime and gave us a good run in the second half," Woods said. "You have to give them credit. They didn't go away easily. They did some things in the second half that we weren't expecting. They made some shots and cut the deficit to single digits."
Junior Brent Arrington led five Eagles in double figures with 17 points. Senior Karam Mashour added 16, while sophomore Corban Collins tallied 12, senior Kareem Storey recorded 11 and junior Anthony Elechi managed 10. Collins posted seven rebounds, while Storey tied a career high with five steals.
Morehead State forced 19 turnovers. The Eagles notched advantages of 12-6 in steals, 44-28 in paint points and 26-11 in points off turnovers. The points-off-turnover margin was 20-2 at one point in the first half. Tennessee Tech never led in the affair. MSU had the upper hand for just over 38 minutes.
Freshman Aleksa Jugovic paced four Tennessee Tech players in double figures with 18 points. Junior Charles Jackson added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Belmont and Eastern Kentucky are tied atop the OVC's East Division at 10-5. The Bruins host Tennessee State on Saturday, while the Colonels welcome Tennessee Tech.
"Our student attendance was great tonight," Woods added. "We need that energy and excitement to win home games, plus I think our players deserve the support. I think we're a fun team to watch. I'm very thankful for the effort of our fans. They've made a difference this year."
Saturday's MSU vs. JSU contest is slated for 6 p.m. ET. It will follow the same two schools in women's basketball at 3 p.m.
