Golden Eagle season ends in OVC semifinals with loss to Morehead State
Morehead State guard Maze Stallworth led the way as the No. 2 seed Eagles ran away from Tech in the first half and held on for a 76-47 victory over the Golden Eagles in the semifinals of the OVC Tournament in Bridgestone Arena Friday night.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It wasn’t the league’s
Player of the Year who did the damage Friday night. It didn’t
need to be.
Morehead State guard Maze Stallworth, whose accuracy from long
distance early in the game was deadly, lifted the No. 2 seeded
Eagles to a gaping lead and they kept in control for a 76-47
victory over No. 6 seed Tennessee Tech in the semifinals of the
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in the Bridgestone Arena.
Junior Kenneth Faried, the OVC Player of the Year, had a big hand
in the victory, but he wasn’t the one who stung the Golden
Eagles this time. It was Stallworth, a first-team all-OVC pick who
led all scorers with 24 points. He was 8-for-12, including 4-for-5
3-pointers.
Tech didn’t have an answer. For the Golden Eagles, the shots
wouldn’t fall, the close calls went the other way and it was
just to many obstacles to overcome. Tech ends the season with a
15-17 overall record.
Morehead State, 23-9, is attempting to defend the OVC Tournament
title that it won last year with a buzzer-beater over Austin Peay,
and will get the chance Saturday night in the championship game
against top-seeded Murray State. The Racers were a 55-51 winner
over No. 4 Eastern Illinois in the first semifinal game of the
night.
Nobody reached double figures for the Golden Eagles. Alfred Jones,
Elijah Muhammad, Jud Dillard and Zach Bailey scored nine each. Tech
shot 36.6 percent for the game, including 1-for-11 from long range.
The Golden Eagles had 20 turnovers.
In addition to 24 points, Stallworth had seven rebounds, three
assists, two steals and a blocked shots. Faried, the nation’s
leading rebounder, finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, well
below his averages. Terrance Hill and Demonte Harper added 10
points each.
The MSU Eagles shot 44.6 percent from the field, highlighted by
9-for-20 gunning from downtown for 45 percent. MSU was 17-for-19 at
the free throw line and held a 33-26 advantage on the boards.
Tech led 2-0 and was tied at 6-6, but Stallworth ignited the
Eagles with his first 3-pointer at the 15:33 mark. It opened an
18-3 run that left Morehead State on top, 24-9, with eight minutes
remaining in the half.
Tech’s early woes continued as the Golden Eagles managed
just three free throws over the next three minutes, and the
Morehead State lead grew to 32-15 before Elijah Muhammad sank a
3-pointer. It ended a stretch of just over 11 minutes without a
field goal for the Golden Eagles.
Stallworth had the range from the opening tipoff, going 5-for-8 in
the first half, including three 3-pointers, on his way to 15 points
by the break.
Tech shot 28.6 percent in the first 20 minutes and Morehead State
nailed 52 percent of its first half shots.
The Golden Eagles came out and scored the first two baskets of the
second half, but 14 points was as close as they could get.
