Box Score
RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University's women's basketball team out-rebounded Morehead State University by 14 on its way to a 74-59 victory on Monday in McBrayer Arena. With its second win over the Eagles in the last three days, the Colonels complete the season sweep of the in-state rivals.
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Seventeen of Eastern's rebounds came off the offensive glass and resulted in 15 second-chance points. In the first meeting between the two teams on Friday, MSU out-rebounded EKU by 11.
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Freshman
Alice Recanati had a game-best 17 points to go along with nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks for EKU (2-2, 2-0 OVC). In just her second game with the team,
Jayla Johnson finished with 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Freshman
Kendall Wingler added 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
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Fueled by five early Morehead State turnovers, EKU jumped out to a quick lead, scoring eight unanswered to go up 12-3. Back-to-back lay-ups by Recanati and Johnson capped the run. Three-point baskets by Johnson and Wingler late in the first quarter pushed the margin to nine again, 22-13. Recanati's triple kept the margin at nine, 25-16, at the end of the first. The Colonels shot 58 percent (11-for-19) in the first 10 minutes of play.
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Four straight points early in the second, including a lay-up off an offensive rebound by Recanati, put the home squad in front by 10, 29-19. Wingler hit a lay-up and then hit
Bria Bass with a no-look pass for another lay-up to push the advantage to 16, 42-26, and polish off an 11-2 spurt. The Eagles scored the final two points of the quarter and trailed 42-28 at the break.
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A 12-4 run in the third quarter, which started with 3-pointers from
Amerah Steele and Wingler, allowed EKU to take its largest lead of the game at 19 points, 54-35. However, Morehead State scored the next 10 points as the Colonels went almost four minutes without scoring. A free throw by Lai'Janique Perry-Ellis finished off the run and got the visitors to within nine, 54-45, with 2:01 remaining in the third. The Eagles never got any closer.
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The Colonels answered MSU's run with another of their own, going on an 11-4 spurt that stretched to the 5:33 mark of the fourth quarter. A 3-pointer by
Kynnedy Azubike and a jumper from Johnson put Eastern back in front by 16, 65-49 with less than six minutes left in the game.
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Azubike had 12 points on the night.
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Jazzmyn Elston led Morehead State (0-3, 0-2 OVC) with 14 points.
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Eastern Kentucky shot 38 percent for the game while limiting the Eagles to 34 percent shooting.
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The Colonels will play at Chattanooga on Friday at 4 p.m.
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