MOREHEAD, KY — A late rally by the Morehead State women’s basketball team came up just short on Sunday afternoon, as MSU fell to East Tennessee State 56-52 at Johnson Arena.
King added six points to her 12-rebound game for the Eagles (3-5). Veronica Charles helped out with nine points, six assists and three steals and Melissa Secchiaroli chipped in with 10 points and two steals.
King pulled down five offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Morehead State, grabbing 11 boards and turning them into nine second chance points.
Morehead State’s defense held East Tennessee State to only 37.3 percent shooting from the field, including 30 percent from beyond the arc. The Buccaneers did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with nine offensive rebounds and managed 10 second chance points.
A 12-0 ETSU run to close the 3rd quarter proved to be the downfall for MSU in the loss.
How It Happened
Morehead State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 16-9 at the end of the first quarter.
Morehead State kept the Buccaneers from increasing their lead before going on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from King, to narrow its deficit to 23-21. East Tennessee State responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Eagles trailing 31-26 heading into halftime.
Morehead State came out of halftime on fire, going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Secchiaroli, to tie things up at 31 with 8:09 to go in the third. The Eagles could not advance their rally further as the Buccaneers took a 45-33 lead into the fourth quarter. Morehead State knocked down one three-pointer in the quarter to score three of its seven total points.
Morehead State kept the Buccaneers from increasing their lead before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Charles’ three, to shrink the deficit to 47-41 with 6:24 to go in the contest. The Eagles kept their comeback going, but East Tennessee State managed to hold on for the 56-52 win. Morehead State took advantage of two East Tennessee State turnovers in the quarter, scoring five points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» The Eagles held the Buccaneers to only 37.3 percent shooting from the field.
» Morehead State lost despite a 34-33 rebounding advantage.
» Morehead State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Melissa Secchiaroli led the Eagles with 10 points.
» Morehead State got a game-high 12 rebounds from Blessing King.
Morehead State is off for the next eight days before hosting Wheeling (W .Va) at Johnson Arena on Dec. 11.