MOREHEAD, Ky. –
Kirsten Lewis-Williams scored 18 points,
Kenleigh Woods added 17 as the Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team held off a late Morehead State rally to earn a 63-58 victory Thursday night at Johnson Arena.
Eastern Kentucky (1-1) forced 24 turnovers and recorded 17 steals to secure their first win of the season, extending their winning streak over the Eagles to eight games since 2020.
Lewis-Williams and Woods each pulled down seven rebounds, while Woods added three assists and two blocks without committing a turnover in 37 minutes.
Liz Freihofer finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers and blocked two shots in the final minute to help preserve the victory.
Luna Ueda contributed nine points, three assists and three steals.
Michelle Ugwah led EKU with five steals and added two blocks, while
Kailani Lindsey finished with six points, four steals, and two blocks.
Eastern Kentucky turned Morehead State's turnovers into 20 points and finished with nine blocks. The Colonels held the Eagles (0-2) to 32.7 percent shooting while committing 13 turnovers of their own.
Kensley Feltner led Morehead State with 22 points, and Heidi Smith added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
After falling behind 11-5 midway through the opening quarter, EKU scored 16 unanswered points to take control. Lindsey and Ueda started the run with layups before consecutive 3-pointers from Freihofer and Lewis-Williams put the Colonels ahead. Freihofer capped the surge with another 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 21-11 advantage after the first quarter.
The Colonels continued to build their lead in the second quarter, opening a 34-14 cushion on a Woods layup with 5:27 remaining. Morehead State answered with an 11-1 run, but baskets from Lindsey and Woods sent EKU into halftime leading 39-25.
Eastern Kentucky held the Eagles without a field goal for the first four minutes of the third quarter, but Morehead State narrowed the margin as the period progressed. Lewis-Williams scored EKU's final four points of the quarter to give the Colonels a 47-38 lead entering the fourth.
A Lewis-Williams 3-pointer pushed the advantage to 53-41 with 8:20 remaining before the Eagles rallied within 55-54 at the 3:35 mark. Freihofer answered with her fourth 3-pointer on EKU's next possession, knocking down a shot off a Woods offensive rebound and assist.
After Morehead State cut the deficit to two, Woods finished a layup with 1:48 remaining and added a free throw with 44 seconds left to make it 61-56. Freihofer blocked a pair of late 3-point attempts, and Ueda sank two free throws with one second remaining to seal the win.
Eastern Kentucky returns to Richmond for its home opener against Radford on Saturday at Baptist Health Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
