EIU Drops Loss to Morehead State, SIUE Wins

The Panthers led by 16 points heading into the second half but gave up 29 third quarter points to Morehead State collecting their 13th loss of the season. The Eagles defeated EIU 89-81.

The Panthers fell to 1-13 overall and 0-3 in the OVC while MSU improved to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in the OVC.

Jennifer Nehls set the offensive pace for EIU early with 10 first quarter points. By halftime, the Panthers had two players in double figures as Taylor Steele scored 10 points the the second quarter. EIU shot 63.3 percent from the field and 70 percent from beyond the arc in the first half of play.

The Eagles scored 29 third quarter points to ultimately take the lead at the 9:41 minute mark of the fourth quarter. The Panthers were held scoreless in the final quarter until a jumper from Nehls at the 3:40 mark. MSU finished with 53 second half points to defeat the Panthers by eight points.

Nehls set a new career-high with 24 points. She was 10-of-11 from the field shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range. She also had a team-leading six rebounds. Taylor Steele finished with 15 points while Grace McRae and Karle Pace each added 12 points. Danielle Berry had a team-high four assists.

Five players scored in double-figures for the Eagles. Erin Blaine finished with a team-high 19 points while Tierra McGowan recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 boards.

The Panthers return to action Saturday Jan. 6 at Eastern Kentucky. Tip-off is set for 1 pm.

SIU 85, Eastern Kentucky 82

Senior Jalen Henry poured in a career-high 35 points Thursday to lead SIUE to its first Ohio Valley Conference win of the year, an 85-82 triumph on the road at Eastern Kentucky.

Wasting no time, Henry scored the games' first 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, to stake the Cougars' to a double digit lead. SIUE led wire-to-wire en route to improving to 5-9 overall and 1-2 in the OVC.

"I give our guys a lot of credit," SIUE Head Coach Jon Harris said. "It's not easy to win on the road. (Eastern Kentucky) is a good, high-powered team. They press, the pressure you and they're good offensively."

Henry opened the game with back-to-back three pointers and finished with a career-best five triples. Overall he was 13-18 from the field and 5-6 from three-point range. Henry's 35 points were the most for an SIUE player since Burak Eslik scored 40 in a win over Morehead State in January of 2016.

"Man, he was really good tonight," Harris said of Henry. "I give him a lot of credit."

Henry scored 13 points in the first half despite being limited to just nine minutes because of foul trouble.  

"An area where he has struggled is when he gets in foul trouble early," Harris added. "He hasn't typically responded in the second half. Tonight, he didn't play passive he stayed aggressive. He was a senior in a big way for us."

Henry was 8-10 from the field in the second half, including 2-2 from three-point range.