MSU Hoops falls in opener
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State women’s basketball opened its 2016-17 campaign with a 68-50 loss to Georgia State in the first game of the Donna Murphy Classic.
The Eagles were led by senior guard KayK Tate, who scored 13 points off 5-for-7 shooting inside the perimeter, and 6-for-12 shooting overall. The 5-foot-8 Dyersburg, Tenn. native added three assists, two rebounds, and a block in a 28 minutes as a starter.
“KayK worked really hard,” said head coach Greg Todd. “She had a good night.”
The Eagles forced 20 turnovers and blocked 11 shots as a team, but struggled on the offensive end.
“We’ve been working mostly on defense,” Todd said. “I thought we handled some of the pressure fine. We got better as the game went on.”
Junior Eriel McKee scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds before leaving the game with an apparent shoulder injury after just 15 minutes. An already depleted Morehead State bench allowed freshman reserve Breuna Jackson to flourish in 33 minutes, recording six points, three assists, and three rebounds in her collegiate debut.
“”Breuna had three assists and handled the ball a lot,” said Todd. “That’s pretty good for a freshman’s opening game.”
Sophomore guard Miranda Crockett contributed eight points, five assists, and five rebounds in a 34-minute starting effort. Shay Steele, a senior, posted six points and eight rebounds in the frontcourt.
The Eagles will play their second of three games in the Donna Murphy Classic on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. when Eastern Michigan visits Johnson Arena. The game will be broadcast live on the OVC Digital Network.
