Morehead State Defeats Eastern Kentucky in OVC Tournament

Morehead State 91
Eastern Kentucky 72

The Morehead State Eagles earned a win over rival Eastern Kentucky last night and have moved on to the OVC Tournament semifinals in Nashville. Morehead used a series of three-pointers, alley-oop dunks and offensive rebounds to pull away from the Colonels in the second half at Johnson Arena. The Eagles (17-15) took a commanding 14-point lead at halftime, only to see Eastern shoot themselves back into the game. The Colonels actually took a lead in the second half before Morehead went on a monumental 16-0 run and put the game out of reach.

The stat that essentially determined the outcome of the game was rebounding. Morehead gathered 45 rebounds against only 16 for the Colonels. Morehead's Kenneth Faried, who is third in the nation in rebounding average, actually out-rebounded Eastern Kentucky's team by himself (17-16). Faried picked up his 21st double-double on the season with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Maze Stallworth led the Eagles in scoring with 21 points and Leon Buchanan added 20, including a barrage of monstrous dunks in the second half. Demonte Harper was two rebounds short of a triple-double as he had 16 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds.

Eastern Kentucky picked up 26 points from Josh Taylor, who shot 10-15 from the field and nailed six three-pointers. Mike Rose wrapped up his outstanding OVC career with 12 points. The colonels finish their season with a record of 18-13.

The Eagles now move on to Nashville's Sommet Center, where they will meet UT-Martin and superstar Lester Hudson on Friday night at 7:00 PM. The teams split their regular season games with each picking up a win at home. The game will air on ESPNU.

My thoughts: My wife and I attended the game in Morehead last night and it was an electric atmosphere. It was easy to see why the Eagles were near unbeatable at home this season. As a graduate of MSU, I was proud to be an Eagle last night. Kenneth Faried plays with the heart of a lion and is a real joy to watch. Coach Tyndall is a top-notch individual and an outstanding basketball coach. The Eagles will have a battle on Friday night against UT-Martin, but they are legitimate contenders to win the OVC Championship.

Recap from MSUEagles.com

MSU Ticket Information for Nashville

Box Score