Freshman forward Eriel McKee recorded her seventh double-double with 12 points and a career-best 16 rebounds, while senior guard Almesha Jones netted a game-best 26 points as the Morehead State women's basketball team pulled away in the second half to defeat Eastern Kentucky 76-58 at Johnson Arena on Saturday (Jan. 31).
Morehead State, which put the kibosh on a five-game losing skid in the EKU series, improved to 10-12 overall and 6-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference. EKU slipped to 8-11 overall and 3-6 in the league race.
"We made the right adjustments at halftime, and I thought we played much better on defense too in the final half," Head Coach Greg Todd said. "I think we are really seeing what this team can do. We were picked 12th in the conference, but we always felt this team was a lot better."
MSU trailed 33-29 at halftime but shot 46 percent (17-of-37) the final 20 minutes and outscored the visitors 47-25. MSU limited EKU to just 28 percent (10-of-35) in the second period.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 14-0 run as the Colonels missed their first seven field goal tries.
Jones also added a game-best seven assists and moved onto the OVC's top-10 list for career helpers. She now has 517. McKee scored in double figures for the 17th time this season. She grabbed 14 defensive rebounds as MSU held a 17-3 advantage in second-chance points.
Freshman Brooke Todd tied her career-high with six points, added six rebounds and recorded a career-best five blocked shots.
Eastern Kentucky was led by Shameekia Howard's 16 points. Jasmine Henshaw pulled down 12 rebounds.
Morehead State registered a hefty 55-35 rebounding edge. The 55 boards were the second-most in 2014-15.
Morehead State hosts Belmont Wednesday (Feb. 4) at 6 p.m.
