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Men's Basketball Wins Season Opener

MSU Athletics

The Morehead State men's basketball team shot 54 percent and turned 23 Cincinnati Christian turnovers into 26 points en route to an 87-51 season-opening victory at Johnson Arena Friday night.

Twelve MSU players got into the scoring column, and the Eagles outscored the CCU Eagles 46-18 in the paint. Fifty-two of the 87 points came from the non-starters.

"We have so much balance on this team, and that is what you are going to see night in and night out," said Head Coach Sean Woods. "I can play a lot of guys and have confidence in everyone. We are still working on matchups and rotations, but everyone has something to give."

Senior guard Brent Arrington led the way with 14 points in 20 minutes of action, while junior transfer Ronnye Beamon came off the bench for 12 points.

Senior guard Corban Collins contributed nine points, a team-best eight rebounds and six assists. Freshman guard Malik Maitland handed out nine assists in his collegiate debut.

"I think Malik is starting to find himself and define his role with nine assists and only two turnovers, and Corban was solid today," Woods added.

Morehead State shot 56 percent (15-of-27) in the opening half and built a 43-27 cushion at the half before nailing 53 percent (16-of-30) from the field in the final half. The Eagles built as much as a 36-point lead late in the contest.

D.J. McCommons hit a trio of treys and led all players with 15 points for CCU, which shot just 33 percent (16-of-48).

The hosts held a 39-27 edge in rebounding with junior Dejuan Marerro grabbing five.

"Dejuan has a motor that doesn't stop, but he didn't really get a fair shake tonight because of foul trouble. Some of these bigger teams are probably not going to double us down in the post, so he will be able to maneuver a bit more in the future," Woods commented.

Morehead State hits the road for a Monday night matchup at Missouri Valley foe Illinois State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. 

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