By Matt Schabert, Morehead State Athletic Media RelationsGAME NOTES | ESPN+ | EAGLE SPORTS NETWORK | LIVE STATS
MOREHEAD, Ky. — Morehead State men’s basketball embarks on the Illinois leg of the Ohio Valley Conference this week. It starts Thursday evening at Eastern Illinois where the Eagles and Panthers will tip off at 9 p.m. ET in s game aired live on ESPNU.
Morehead State (7-6/4-2 OVC) takes its three-game winning streak into Lantz Arena, a court that hasn’t been kind to many Eagle teams over the years. MSU is just 6-16 all-time in Charleston. Eastern Illinois (5-6/2-2 OVC) holds a 26-16 lead in the all-time series but since the 2010-11 season, Morehead State has wins in eight of the 12 games.
The game will air live on MSUEagles.com as well (WIVY-96.3 FM audio).
LAST TIME AGAINST EASTERN ILLINOIS (Box Score)
The Eagles saw a furious comeback attempt fall short at Eastern Illinois on Feb. 8, 2020. The Eagles trailed by as many as 15 early and rallied to pull within five on several second-half occasions, but the Panthers thwarted MSU’s desires and won 71-65 at Lantz Arena. Then-freshman forward Tyzhaun Claude led MSU with 14 points, while Ta’lon Cooper and James Baker grabbed eight boards apiece as MSU out-rebounded the home team 48-36.
INSIDE THE SERIESRecord vs. Eastern Illinois: 16-26First Meeting: Dec. 14, 1981 (@MSU won 79-77)Streak: EIU, 1 gameRecord in Charleston: 6-16Record in Morehead: 10-10 Last 5 Meetings1/5/17 MOREHEAD, KY. W 85-751/4/18 MOREHEAD, KY. L 61-522/2/19 Charleston, Ill. W 84-781/11/20 MOREHEAD, KY. W 69-662/8/20 Charleston, Ill. L 71-65
NOTABLE• Morehead State enters the matchup on a three-game winning streak, the second three-game success streak for the Eagles this season. In the last three games, Morehead State has held the lead for 93:08. In the wins over Murray State and Jacksonville State, MSU held the advantage for all but three minutes combined.
• Freshman forward Johni Broome, the first three-time OVC Freshman of the Week for the Eagles since 2000-01, missed the Murray State game and only could play four minutes against Tennessee Tech. But he returned with force against Jacksonville State with a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double. Broome has three double-doubles in his first collegiate season.
• Junior guard DeVon Cooper, who had to sit out all of last season with injuries, leads Morehead State in scoring at 10.8 point per game and also leads in double-figure scoring efforts with 10.
• In OVC games only, Morehead State ranks first in the conference in scoring defense (61.2), rebound defense (31.0), rebound margin (+7.0) and blocked shots (34).
• In the past eight games, Morehead State has only allowed opponents to score 59.0 points per game and shoot just 38.3 percent. During that span, the Eagles also hold a +8.0 rebound margin.
• Senior forward James Baker ranks fourth in Morehead State history in blocked shots. He has 114 career rejections, needing just two more to move into the top three past George Williams (1973-74).
• Johni Broome is the top freshman rebounder in the conference (7.1/game). In fact, he is the only freshman ranked in the top 20 in rebounds per game.
• Morehead State averaged nearly 20 turnovers per game in the first 10 contests but has cut that down to only 13.6 in the last three games. The Eagles had only a season-low 11 mistakes versus Jacksonville State Saturday.
• Morehead State is 19-0 in the last two seasons when the team holds the lead with one minute left in regulation.