By Ted McCoart, Morehead State Athletic Media RelationsESPN+ | LISTEN | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES (PDF)
WACO, Texas – The Morehead State Women’s Basketball program is set to close out 2019 and non-conference competition when it meets the defending NCAA National Champion Baylor Lady Bears at the Ferrell Center on Monday evening at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Head coach Greg Todd and his team visit the Lady Bears sporting a 4-7 overall record in the 2019-20 season.
Baylor hosts as the sixth-ranked team in the NCAA, and is currently 9-1 overall.
“This is another great opportunity for our team to face one of the top programs in the nation. Our team has had some spirited practices following a short break for the holidays and we’re ready to compete,” said Todd.
Monday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN+/Big12 Now. Emma Tiedemann will have the call of the action from courtside on the Eagle Sports Network, 96.3-FM WIVY. Live statistics will be available on MSUEagles.com.
GAME NOTES
THE NON-CONFERENCE FINALE: MOREHEAD STATE VS. BAYLOR
The Morehead State Women’s Basketball team makes its way to the Lone Star to face off with No.6 Baylor on Monday at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. The Eagles enter their final non-conference game with a 4-7 overall record. The host Lady Bears welcome MSU with a 9-1 mark.
FAMILIAR WITH FERRELL
After having never crossed paths with Baylor in the program’s 49-year history, Morehead State will meet the Lady Bears for the second consecutive season. Last season (Dec. 15, 2018), Baylor defeated the Eagles, 96-58, despite a season- best 12 triples by the visitors. Miranda Crockett & Crystal Simmons-Cozar led MSU with 14 points each while 2019 first-round WNBA selection Kalani Brown paced her squad with 21 points.
TOP-25 COMPETITION
Monday’s matchup against No.6 Baylor marks the third matchup for Morehead State against a top-25 team during its 2019-20 season. Along with the Lady Bears, the Eagles squared off with No.19 Michigan State and No.13 Kentucky. Morehead State dropped a 93-48 game to the Spartans in East Lansing, Mich., on Dec. 15. Against the Wildcats, the Eagles fought to the final horn and managed to outrebound the SEC squad before falling 79-54 in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 21.
TWO-FRESH TOMMY
For the second consecutive week, freshman guard Tomiyah Alford was tabbed as the OVC’s Freshman of the Week. In the Eagles games against Valparaiso and Asbury (Ky.), the 5-foot-10 native of Barnesville, Ga., averaged 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.5 steals per game. From the field, the rookie hit on 15-of-22 field-goal attempts for a shooting clip of 68%. For the season, Alford averages 10.0 points per game and leads the Eagles in steals with 2.2 swipes
per game.
ACTION JACKSON
Senior Breuna Jackson has been a part of a historical run for the Morehead State Women’s Basketball program. Since stepping on campus in 2016, the 5-foot-4 guard has played in three consecutive 20-plus win seasons, two trips to the WNIT, and the school’s first-ever postseason victory. This season, Jackson has stepped into a leadership role as the Eagles lone four-year senior – and she has produced. Jackson currently leads MSU in scoring (10.2), three-point shooting (17-47,.362), and free-throw shooting (23-25, .920).
AK-11
Freshman guard Ariel Kirkwood has shown flashes of greatness through the first 11 games of her career. The six-foot Milwaukee product averages 10.1 points per game while leading the team in rebounding at 9.3 boards per outing. Three times this season Kirkwood has recorded a double-double while having reached double-figure rebound totals five times. Last time out, Kirkwood produced her best stat line to date – 18pts, 14rbs, 6asts, 3blks vs. Asbury (Ky.)
THE OPPONENT: BAYLOR (Big 12 Conference)
19-20 LADY BEARS: NAMES, NUMBERS, and NATIONAL CHAMPS
HC – KIM MULKEY
Since becoming head coach in 2000, Baylor’s Kim Mulkey has a record of 585-100 (.854). Of her 585 wins, three have come in the NCAA National Championship game as Mulkey’s Lady Bears won the game’s top prize in 2005, 2012, and 2019.
#15 – LAUREN COX (vs. MSU – 12pts, 3rbs, 4asts, 2blks)
Cox is a 6-foot-4 senior forward that garnered Preseason All-American honors prior to the 2019-20 season but has appeared in just two games during her senior campaign due to a right-foot injury. On Saturday, Baylor announced Cox would be available to play against Morehead State after a seven-week hiatus from competition. For her career, the forward has played in 111 games and averages 11.9 ppg,7.4 rpg, and 2.2 bpg.
#20 – JUICY LANDRUM (vs. MSU – 14pts, 4asts, 4-8 3P)
In her last game, the 5-foot-8 Landrum set an NCAA record with 14 three-point makes. The senior guard piled up a career-best 42 points thanks to 14-of-24 shooting from beyond the arc. For her career, Landrum has made 125 triples and averages 8.7 points.