CHARLESTON, Ill. — Morehead State may have had its toughest first-half shooting night of the season, but the Men's Basketball Eagle defense clamped down as well en route to a 58-49 win at SIUE Thursday night.
The Eagles, who scored only 16 first-half points, also held the host Cougars to only 15 in the first 20 minutes and limited SIUE to 1-for-17 from three-point range overall and to 30 percent from the field in the game. The Eagles swept the season series from the Cougars and improved to 12-12 overall and 6-5 in the OVC.
The 15 first-half points allowed tied for the program's lowest since allowing 15 to host Saint Louis University in a road victory in the 2010-11 season.
MSU also heated up finally in the second half, shooting 59 percent, as the Eagles used a late surge to thwart the Cougars' win hopes.
Junior guard Juice Thomas led the surge with 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Freshman forward Tyzhaun Claude [msueagles.com] cashed in a team-best 12 points and hauled in nine rebounds.
The Eagles continue the Land of Lincoln road swing at Eastern Illinois Saturday. Game time is 4:15 p.m. ET.
