FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Wright State 73,
Belmont 70
@Eastern Kentucky 76, Savannah State 53
@Marshall 74,
Jacksonville State 55
@Tennessee Tech 83, Piedmont International 29
Houston 77,
@Murray State 74
@SIUE 104, Harris-Stowe 56
@Tennessee State 97, Reinhardt 66
@Missouri State 64,
Eastern Illinois 53
@Loyola Marymount 76,
Southeast Missouri 66
@Marquette 79,
UT Martin 63
@UNLV 60,
Morehead State 59
WRIGHT STATE 73, BELMONT 70
DAYTON, Ohio - Despite leading much of the way, Belmont University men's basketball dropped a gut-wrenching 73-70 decision at Wright State Friday night to open the 2014-15 campaign.
The Bruins, adjusting to life without ultra-productive 2014 graduates J.J. Mann, Blake Jenkins, and Drew Windler, showcased a new-look roster featuring seven newcomers.
Belmont, among the NCAA leaders in road/neutral victories over the last decade, got off to a positive start against the talented Raiders.
The Bruins made seven of their first eight field goal attempts, and claimed a 15-7 lead just over four minutes into the game on a deep three-pointer from sophomore Taylor Barnette. And while Barnette would bury another triple moments later, both teams cooled off after torrid starts. As Belmont endured a stretch of one made field goal over a 10 minute span, Wright State seized a 30-25 edge behind the play of Butler transfer Chrishawn Hopkins.
But consecutive layins from senior Reece Chamberlain, junior Craig Bradshaw and sophomore Evan Bradds pushed the Bruins back ahead 31-30 with 2:57 left in the half. Another Barnette trey gave Belmont a 40-37 advantage at halftime.
Belmont shot 48 percent (14-for-29) in the opening 20 minutes, as Chamberlain, Barnette and Bradds all reached double figures by the break.
The second half started a bit disjointed for the Bruins, before Chamberlain and Barnette steadied the offense. Belmont's halfcourt offense - and the post play of Bradds - worked Wright State's frontcourt into severe foul difficulty. Two big steals and coast to coast scores by Bradshaw pushed Belmont ahead 51-46 with 13:22 left.
The Bruins had two chances to stretch the margin to seven or eight before Grant Benzinger answered with a baseline three-pointer to cut the margin to two points. After Wright State briefly recaptured the lead, freshman Amanze Egekeze (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) scored along the baseline to tie things at 53 with 11:44 remaining. Belmont pushed the lead to 64-59 on a Chamberlain basket and one Barnette free throw. As Barnette tried to extend the lead to six on another free throw, the ball rimmed out and both teams fought for the rebound.
Senior Holden Mobley appeared to stick his nose into the fray and gain possession, but he was deemed to have fouled Hopkins in the process. So rather than increasing the margin, the Bruins saw Hopkins sink two free throws to get back within three with 5:55 left. After a Bradds basket, Hopkins scored four straight points to get Wright State within 66-65 with 4:22 to go.
Both teams played with the passion and intensity of a late-season conference game, making for compelling theatre. Two free throws from Chamberlain and Bradds pushed Belmont to a 70-66 edge with 2:41 remaining. But it would be a series of unforunate turns from there for the Bruins.
After Belmont was unable to corral a long three-point miss from Arceneaux, Hopkins scored a left-handed layin to get the Raiders within two points with 2:09 left.
Barnette then missed a contested layin on Belmont's next offensive possession. Benzinger would miss a baseline three-point attempt, but as both teams scrambled for the loose ball rebound, Wright State was granted a timeout. From there, Arceneaux would be fouled while driving to the basket with 1:10 remaining. His two free throws tied the score at 70.
Belmont drew up a misdirection play for Bradds, but the pass from Barnette was taken away with 54 seconds left. The Bruins forced a bit of uneasiness for Wright State in the frontcourt, but as Arceneaux regathered a momentary bobbled ball, Chamberlain was whistled for a foul from behind. Arceneaux made one free throw to give Wright State a 71-70 lead with 29 seconds left, its first lead since with 9:10 mark. Following a Coach Byrd timeout, Belmont worked the ball inside to Bradds, who had been virtually unstoppable all evening in front of scores of hometown family and friends.
As Bradds pivoted and elevated to score along the baseline, Bradds was whistled for an offensive foul with 11 seconds left. Belmont extended pressure and denied entry to the free throw shooting extraordinare Arceneaux. But as Chamberlain and Bradshaw converged to steal or foul, Wright State passed long to Steven Davis. Davis attacked the basket and was fouled by a recovering Bradds with 3.9 seconds left. Officials charged Bradds with an intentional foul, awarding Wright State two free throws and possession; Davis proceeded to miss both free throws.
However, on the subsequent Raider inbounds play, Hopkins broke free and glided in for a layin with two seconds left. Bradshaw's final game-tying heave was disallowed, as the guard was said to have touched the sideline prior to his shot attempt.
All told, Belmont shot 47 percent from the field (24-for-51). 21 turnovers - 13 in the second half - hurt the cause. Bradds led four Bruins in double figures with a career-high 21 points and seven rebounds. Chamberlain had 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, Barnette had 14 and Bradshaw 10.
Hopkins led Wright State (1-0) with 21 points.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 76, SAVANNAH STATE 53
RICHMOND, Ky. - On the night the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference championship banner was unveiled, Eastern Kentucky took advantage of 33 turnovers by Savannah State in a 76-53 victory at McBrayer Arena.
Eastern, which ranked second in the nation in turnover margin last season (+6.3) committed 19 fewer turnovers than the Tigers (0-1) and out-scored the visitors 27-9 off turnovers.
Senior guard Corey Walden had eight of EKU’s 17 steals. He also added 20 points and five assists. Newcomer Ja’Mill Powell had 14 points while fellow newcomer Denzel Richardson posted a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
EKU led by only two, 25-23, before going on an 11-0 run with 4:10 left in the first half. Five different players scored during the spurt. Isaac McGlone’s three-pointer from the right wing got it started. Richardson capped it with a lay-up for a 36-25 Eastern lead with 1:52 to go before the break. The Tigers went 2:18 without scoring.
The Colonels scored just two points in the first seven minutes of the second stanza. Savannah State got as close as three before Walden’s defense fueled a 17-3 Eastern run. He got it started with a steal and then went the distance to convert the lay-up while getting knocked to the floor. He added a free throw to complete the old-fashioned three-point play.
A second Walden steal led to a basket by Deverin Muff. The Colonels had three offensive rebounds during the surge. A steal by McGlone led to another lay-up by Walden. Richardson’s three-pointer and a jumper by Powell finished off the run and put EKU in front 55-38 with 8:39 left in the game.
Savannah State never got closer than 15 the rest of the game. EKU scored the final six points. The final margin of 23 points was the home team’s largest advantage of the night.
Saadiq Muhammad led the Tigers with 13 points and nine rebounds. Brian Pearson scored 10 points off the bench. Savannah State made just 9-of-20 attempts at the free throw line (45 percent).
Eric Stutz contributed 13 points, six rebounds, three steals and a block in the winning effort.
The Colonels struggled from the field, making just 39.7 percent of their shots (25-of-63). Eastern hit on only 5-of-26 attempts from three-point range (19.2 percent).
MARSHALL 74, JACKSONVILLE STATE 55
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team couldn't overcome an early Marshall push on Friday night, when the Gamecocks fell 74-55 to the Thundering Herd in the season opener for both teams.
Senior Avery Moore connected on six of his nine 3-point attempts to lead all scorers with 18 points and junior JaQuail Townser scored 11 in his debut for the Gamecocks (0-1), but The Herd (1-0) grabbed the lead early and didn't look back in head coach Dan D'Antoni's debut.
A Townser 3-pointer started the game, but Marshall responded to score the next six points and never trailed again. A slow start from the floor for the Gamecocks watched the Herd slowly build a 14-point first-half lead that JSU couldn't overcome.
The Gamecocks shot 33 percent from the floor in the first half, while Marshall made over 48 percent of its first-half attempts to build the early lead. The Gamecocks found their groove midway through the second half, thanks in large part to Moore's hot hand, but they could erase the deficit.
Moore, a native of Tallahassee, Fla., missed his only shot inside the arc but made six from behind it to come within a point of his highest scoring output in a Gamecock uniform. He scored 12 of his game-high points in the second half.
The Thundering Herd used an up tempo attack to force 10 first-half turnovers by the Gamecocks, and got close to the basket on the offensive end to score 36 points in the paint. The Gamecocks won the battle on the glass, 35-34, and used nine offensive boards to score 17 second-chance points.
Townser, a native of Alton, Ill., making his Gamecock debut after transferring from Southwestern Illinois College, was 4-for-9 from the floor and added two boards and three assists for JSU. Sophomore Undra Mitchem scored nine, while senior Darion Rackley managed just six on a tough 1-for-6 shooting night.
Senior post players D.J. Felder and Jamal Hunter led JSU on the boards with eight and six rebounds, respectively, but both suffered from foul trouble that hindered their offensive production. Felder scored six on a 2-for-8 shooting night, while Hunter missed his only two shots of the game.
Marshall got 16 points and six rebounds a piece from Cheikh Sane and Ryan Taylor, with Sane going a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor in the win.
TENNESSEE TECH 83, PIEDMONT INTERNATIONAL 29
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team's 2014-15 regular season opener had all that and more as the Golden Eagles cruised to an easy 83-29 victory over Piedmont International Friday night in the Eblen Center.
The Tech squad just flat-out refused to allow the Bruins any kind of momentum or groove Friday evening, squandering any hope of establishing any kind of offensive presence. The Golden Eagles held Piedmont to a staggering 15.1 field goal percentage from the floor, allowing just eight buckets all night.
Tech pulled down 61 rebounds in the affair, including 36 on the defensive end, and managed 13 steals and seven blocks as well. Only six Bruin players managed to score on the night, and only two cracked the five-point threshold.
The defensive effort was so dominating, it became the first time since the 1947-48 season-opener that a Golden Eagle team held its opponent below 30 points.
You just have to admire the pageantry. Piedmont's 29 points now sits as the lowest total ever allowed in the Hooper Eblen Center and the lowest mark for the team since the man for which the building is now named stood at the helm of the program. Eblen's 1947-48 squad managed to hold Cumberland University (College at the time) to just 23 points.
Leading the way for the Golden Eagles were two guys who played in their first-ever Division I ball games, including redshirt freshman Mason Ramsey and junior JUCO transfer Charles Jackson. Ramsey, a native of nearby Livingston, kicked off his collegiate career with a bang, recording a double-double thanks to 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting as well as 14 rebounds. He pulled down a staggering nine offensive boards in just 20 minutes of action.
Jackson, a 6-foot-10 transfer from the College of the Southern Idaho, just abused the Bruin frontcourt all game. He too tallied a double-double, making Ramsey and himself the first Tech teammates to each have double-doubles in the same game since Zac Swansey and Jud Dillard each accomplished the feat against Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 16, 2012. Jackson managed 10 points and 13 rebounds in 20 minutes on the floord, adding three blocks and two steals for good measure. He shot 50 percent from the field, contributing to a solid night overall for the Tech offense.
The Golden Eagles knocked down 45.8 percent of their shots against Piedmont, dominating the paint for 54 of their 83 points on the night. Tech also scored 36 points off Bruin turnovers, including 20 on fast breaks. The Tech bench made a huge contribution with 37 points.
A blue-collar effort from the team as a whole led to the 10th-largest margin of victory in program history and a blue-collar player was at the forefront of it all with Ramsey and Jackson. Senior big man Dwan Caldwell managed 14 points in just 17 minutes of action, shooting 66.7 percent from the field with a career-high two treys. He also tallied five rebounds to give the Golden Eagles their highest rebounding total in over 10 years.
Junior swingman Josiah Moore turned in 11 points, leading the way from the charity stripe with a five-for-five effort on free attempts. Another big man, junior Anthony Morse, posted solid numbers with seven points, nine rebounds and a team-high three steals.
With the win, the Golden Eagle squad moves to 40-1 in home openers since 1974 and 1-0 for the season.
HOUSTON 77, MURRAY STATE 74
MURRAY, Ky. - he Murray State Racers dropped a 77-74 season opening defeat to the Houston Cougars in from of 5,056 at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
Cameron Payne led the Racers with 20 points, while Jeffery Moss tossed in 18. Jarvis Williams notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Justin Seymour had 12 points.
After leading by as many as 11 points in the first half, the Racers saw their lead whittled to four at the half. Cold shooting plagued the Racers in the second half against a zone defense and the Cougars eventually took their first lead with 6:20 remaining.
Trailing 76-70 with 1:21 left, MSU nearly pulled this one out of the fire.
Williams was fouled and made a pair of free throws and caused a loose ball which the Racers turned into a Payne layup to cut the UH lead to 76-74. MSU presses again and forced another UH turnover, but Payne's 3-point try for the lead was no good with 37-seconds remaining. MSU had another three-point look for a tie, but missed.
The Racers played a solid first half and twice built 11 point leads with the last coming 4:07 before the half.
Payne scored the Racers' first seven points and Justin Seymour and Kedrick Flomo scored their first points at Murray State in the first half.
MSU finished the game 24-of-64 from the field, but were cold in the second half hitting 12-of-35. The Racers managed 6-of-25 from 3-point range.
SIUE 104, HARRIS-STOWE 56
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Donivine Stewart finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double Friday as SIUE men's basketball rolled past visiting Harris-Stowe 104-56 at the Vadalabene Center.
The senior point guard collected a game-high 20 points and finished with 10 assists. It was the third 20-point game of his career and the most assists since dishing out 11 last season against Southeast Missouri.
Four players scored in double figures overall. Kris Davis and Michael Messer each scored 17 points. Maurice Wiltz added 10.
Friday's win was SIUE's first victory in a home opener since Harris-Stowe visited the Vadalabene Center during the 2007-08 season. It also was the most points scored by an SIUE team since the Cougars reeled off 118 against Oakland City in the 2008-09 season.
Harris-Stowe, led by 13 points from Jacob Lloyd off the bench, held an early 6-2 lead two minutes into the game.
Stewart scored his first basket of the game with 17:31 to play in the first half. Messer put the Cougars ahead for good with a three-pointer at the 17:03 mark.
The Cougars would go on to build a 17-point lead by halftime when Stewart hit a three-pointer with six seconds left in the half.
The lead only grew stronger for SIUE, which used a 20-1 run late in the second half to outdistance the Hornets.
SIUE's rebounding also was a difference-maker. The Cougars held a 33-16 edge in the second half and 54-40 overall.
SIUE's defense swarmed Harris-Stowe with 10 blocks, including four from Michael Chandler and three from Jackson. It was the most blocks by an SIUE team since the Cougars recorded 11 against Illinois Tech in 2006.
TENNESSEE STATE 97, REINHARDT 66
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State University men’s basketball team opened up the 2014-15 season with a win against Reinhardt on Friday night at the Gentry Center.
The Tigers (1-0) put away the Eagles (0-1) in the second half after playing tightly in the first. Junior Marcus Roper paced all scorers with 23 while both Zachary Lee (15pts, 10 boards) and Demontez Loman (11 pts, 13 boards) posted double-doubles.
TSU shot 56% from the field and 61% from three-point land for the game. Roper was 4-for-7 from behind the arc while Jay Harris shot 3-for-4.
TSU went into the locker room ahead 47-45 after a tough first half. The Tigers experienced peaks and valleys such as a 15-point lead at one point that disappeared during a Reinhardt 24-8 run. Roper managed to shake off the nerves and drop 10 points on the half.
The Tigers shot the ball well during the first 20 minutes, posting a 46% clip from the field. They were also impressive from behind the arc, going 5-of-8. Harris was perfect from three and from the free-throw line (2-2 from each). TSU managed to get to the foul line 18 times in the first half.
The Tigers were able to pull away in the closing half, outscoring the Eagles 50-21. Reinhardt turned the ball over eight times in the second half leading to 10 points for TSU. Both Lee and Darreon Reddick were perfect from the field (both were 3-for-3) on the half, while Lee added nine rebounds.
Where TSU truly put the game away in the second half was on defense. The Blue and White defenders held Reinhardt to 21% from the field during the half. That was a 24% decline from the first half.
Along with Roper, Lee, and Loman, there were three other Tigers who finished with double-digit points. Harris put up 18 as the second highest scorer while Reddick had 15 and Xavier Richards had 10.
MISSOURI STATE 64, EASTERN ILLINOIS 53
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Eastern Illinois had a scoring drought of more than eight minutes in the second half as the Panthers lost 64-53 on Friday night in the season opener at Missouri State. EIU returns to action on Monday night hosting Eureka College at 7 p.m. in the home opener at Lantz Arena.
EIU held the lead until 6:35 left in the game when Christian Kirk gave the Bears their first lead with a bank shot that capped a 10-0 run putting MSU up 50-49. Reggie Smith put EIU back in front momentarily with a pair of free throws.
Missouri State answered with the man who carried them all night as Marcus Marshall hit a 3-pointer as he finished with 38 points. Marshall was 12-of-16 from the field and 6-of-7 from 3-point range.
EIU opened the game shooting 54 percent through the first two media time out as the Panthers jumped out a 14-5 lead with 11:40 play. Chris Olivier was a big part of the Panthers good start scoring 14 first half points hitting 7-of-9. Oliver would finish with 16.
The Panthers defense was solid until the 3:49 mark of the first half as they had limited Missouri State to 26 percent shooting. Marshall then caught fire scoring 12 straight Bears points to cut EIU’s lead to 29-27 at the half. Marshall had 18 first half points.
The Bears scored on their first three possessions of the second half and cut the lead to one point. Josh Piper hit his second 3-pointer of the second half to respond as EIU pushed the lead back to 42-35 with 15:04 left in the game.
A Marshall 3-pointer brought the lead back to four at 44-40. Dylan Chatman answered with a 3-pointer and Trae Anderson had a driving lay-up to give EIU a 49-40 lead with 11:11 to play.
Marshall continued to keep Missouri State in the second half as the guard’s 3-pointer with 8:42 cut the Panthers lead to 49-46. Austin Ruder’s jumper in the lane with 7:31 once again cut the lead to one point with EIU in front 49-48.
EIU shot 39 in the second half and finished shooting 41 for the game. MSU was red hot in the second half shooting over 60 percent for most of the half as they finished the night shooting 47 from the field.
Piper had six points as did Smith, Cornell Johnston and Trae Anderson for EIU. Kirk added eight for Missouri State.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 76, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 66
LOS ANGELES - Evan Payne scored a game-high 23 points to lead Loyola Marymount (1-0) to a 76-66 win over Southeast Missouri (0-1) Friday in the opening day of the LMU Classic.
Payne scored all of his points off the bench on 9-of-14 field goals, 2-of-3 three-pointers and 3-of-4 free throws.
LMU shot 52.8 percent (28-of-53) from the field on the night and made five free throws in the final 47 seconds of the game to seal its first win under head coach Mike Dunlap.
The Lions built their largest lead when Matt Hayes knocked down a three-pointer to make it 45-34 with 18:41 left in the second half.
Southeast answered with an 8-0 run and cut LMU's lead to 45-42 on Nino Johnson's jumper at the 15:26 mark.
The Redhawks then pulled ahead by two on a couple occasions before the Lions took over the rest of the way.
After Aaron Adeoye's dunk sliced LMU's lead to 65-63, LMU responded with an 11-3 run in the final 2:50. Isiah Jones missed a three-pointer that would have given Southeast the lead and the Redhawks shot 1-of-6 from the field down the stretch.
LMU and Southeast went back-and-forth in a first half which saw neither team lead by more than six points.
The Redhawks took their first lead of the season at 12-10 on a layup by Antonius Cleveland with 14:33 left to play. Adeoye followed with his first career points to give Southeast a four-point cushion.
Southeast would pull ahead three more times before the Lions maintained the lead for the final 6:54 of the half.
After Johnson buried a pair of free throws to pull Southeast to within two (36-34), Payne threw down a dunk and made a jumper with one second to send LMU into the locker room with a 40-34 advantage.
LMU shot 54 percent (14-of-26) from the field and 57 percent (4-of-7) from three-point range in game's opening 20 minutes. Payne led all scorers with 12 points off the bench. Johnson put up 10 first-half points for Southeast.
Johnson scored a career-high 22 points to lead all Southeast scorers. He finished with 9-of-12 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws, grabbed six rebounds and gathered three blocks.
Cleveland followed with 16 points and Jones pitched in 11 during his first career start with the Redhawks.
Southeast shot 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the field and just 20 percent (4-of-20) from downtown. The Redhawks also shot 50 percent (6-of-12) at the free throw line.
Meanwhile, LMU shot 52.8 percent (28-of-53) from the field.
Southeast is currently without Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference guard/forward Jarekious Bradley and guard Josh Langford. Bradley did not make the trip due to a quad contusion and Langford is serving a two-game suspension due to a violation of team rules last semester.
The Redhawks dropped to 9-15 all-time in season-openers since joining the NCAA Division I ranks. Southeast lost its ninth-straight season-opening game.
MARQUETTE 79, UT MARTIN 63
MILWAUKEE - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team gave a valiant effort in its season opener at Marquette before falling by a 79-63 margin at the BMO Harris Bradley Center this evening.
A trio of newcomers led the Skyhawks in scoring in head coach Heath Schroyer’s UT Martin debut tonight, led by Deville Smith’s 12 points. Twymond Howard and Alex Anderson each added 11 points for UT Martin while Marshun Newell provided nine points, five rebounds and a team-high three assists. Myles Taylor snared a game-high 11 rebounds in only 15 minutes of play before fouling out, helping the Skyhawks outrebound their Big East Conference opponent by a 34-25 margin.
Marquette was led by Jajuan Johnson, who scored a game-high 20 points. Juan Anderson (16 points, seven rebounds), Matt Carlino (11 points, seven assists) and Deonte Burton (10 points) also cracked double-figures in the scoring column for the Golden Eagles.
UT Martin came out on a roll, keyed by the inside play of Arkeem Joseph. He accounted for both of the Skyhawks’ first two baskets to provide UT Martin with the early momentum. An old-fashioned three-point play by Howard gave the Skyhawks a 7-5 lead while a tip-in by Taylor provided a 11-8 UT Martin advantage a little over five minutes into the game.
Newell buried a three-pointer at the 12:13 mark of the first half to keep the Skyhawk lead at three points but Marquette soon went on an 18-3 run to go ahead 31-19 with five minutes to go before the halftime break.
The Golden Eagles led by 14 points with 3:39 left in the first half before another trey by Newell and back-to-back buckets by Howard whittled UT Martin’s deficit back down to single-digits at 37-29. The margin remained at eight points at the half, as Marquette led 38-30.
Howard’s eight points paced the Skyhawks at the break while Burton tallied 10 points in 12 minutes off the bench for Marquette.
The Golden Eagles began the second half on a 12-4 run before a Newell layup ignited an 8-2 UT Martin run that made the score 50-40 with 13:52 left in the game. Four different Skyhawks accounted for points during the run.
After an offensive board and putback by Javier Martinez, Marquette scored eight unanswered points to go on top 61-42. Smith then took over, accounting for eight of the next nine points to pull UT Martin within 12 points at 63-51 with seven minutes to go.
Marquette then then pieced together a 11-3 run and despite a late barrage by Anderson (seven points in a span of 2:16), the Skyhawks couldn’t get any closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
UNLV 60, MOREHEAD STATE 59
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's basketball team used an 18-3 second-half run and blocked 12 shots on its way to a 60-59 victory before a crowd of 12,582 on Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The season opener for both schools was also their first-ever meeting. The Runnin' Rebels compete in the Mountain West Conference, while the Eagles are members of the Ohio Valley Conference.
UNLV held Morehead State to 31 percent (21-of-68) from the floor, including just 22 percent (7-of-32) in the second half. The Eagles missed 13 consecutive attempts during UNLV's second-half surge.
Morehead State was also whistled for 11 more fouls, which led to 13 more free-throw attempts for UNLV. The Runnin' Rebels tallied a 42-38 rebounding edge, but MSU was +7 on the offensive end.
The Eagles only committed two first-half turnovers and six for the night. The turnaround comes after 22 miscues in their only exhibition game this season. UNLV registered just two steals as a result.
Freshman Rashad Vaughn recorded a game-high 26 points for UNLV, while sophomore Christian Wood contributed 12. Vaughn canned 8-of-18 overall and was just 2-of-8 from long range, but knocked down a trifecta from the corner to break a tie game with just over one minute remaining.
Wood also yanked down 12 rebounds for a double-double. Senior Cody Dollin distributed a game-high seven assists for UNLV, while freshman Goodluck Okonoboh rejected seven shots in the tilt.
Senior Angelo Warner paced Morehead State with 21 points, while junior Brent Arrington added 12. Senior Karam Mashour pulled down a team-best eight rebounds for the Eagles, while senior Kareem Storey was credited with a team-high five assists. MSU used 10 of the 11 players it dressed.
Morehead State led for more than 17 minutes and opened its largest lead of 11 points by 17:56 on the clock in the second stanza. The Eagles drilled 8-of-10 field-goal tries during a 10-0 first-half run.