A big star. A massive rally. A goaltend for the win. EKU, Morehead stage a classic.
A pair of Kentucky programs staged a barn burner on Monday night.
The Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team roared back from a 17-point deficit to knock off Morehead State 71-68 in wild fashion in the Colonels’ home opener in McBrayer Arena in Richmond. It was the first matchup of a 20-game Ohio Valley Conference schedule for both teams.
“What a great college basketball game to open up OVC play here,” Morehead State Coach Preston Spradlin said. “Give credit to Eastern Kentucky, they played a terrific second half.”
After Morehead State’s Johni Broome hit a short jumper to tie the game 68-68 with half a minute to play, EKU ran the clock down to five seconds and called timeout. Following the stoppage, sophomore Michael Moreno drove to the basket and lofted a short runner. Morehead’s Skyelar Potter swatted the shot, but the refs called goaltending as well as a foul. Moreno sank the free throw and Tre King stole Morehead’s inbounds pass near half court, sealing a thrilling victory for the Colonels.
“We worked on that last-second play today at the shootaround,” EKU Coach A.W. Hamilton said. “I’ve been so excited for nine years to use that play. … I told my staff, ‘If this works, you guys all have to buy me a steak dinner four nights in a row.’ I’ve got a lot of steak dinners coming my way.”
It was a fitting end to a masterful game by Moreno. He scored a career-high 29 points, knocking down 10 of 16 shots from the field, including six of 12 three-pointers. He also pulled down five rebounds.
“What a historic performance that was, that was incredible,” Hamilton said. “I’m so proud of that kid. He’s playing with so much confidence.”
After the Eagles lit the Colonels up on offense in the first half, hitting 75 percent of their shots, EKU dug in on defense in the second. The Colonels chipped away at the deficit by ramping up their full-court pressure, forcing 16 turnovers after halftime and 27 total.
Early on, it looked like the Eagles might get blown out of the gym. Moreno was dialed in for EKU, hitting three straight three-pointers to give the Colonels a quick 9-0 lead as Morehead missed its first four shots from the field.
But something clicked for the Eagles after they dug that hole. Potter quickly nailed a pair of threes to get them going. Another trey from KJ Hunt gave MSU its first lead at 13-12.
There were six lead changes over the next few minutes, with Moreno hitting a pair of mid-range jumpers and finishing off a fast break to keep the Colonels close.
But EKU had no answer for Morehead’s offense down the stretch of the first half. The Eagles hit 18 of 20 shots to build a 44-28 halftime lead.
Moreno matched his previous career high with 18 points in the first half. He hit another three-pointer to pull EKU within nine just over three minutes into the second.
King, the Colonels’ leading scorer who was named OVC Player of the Week on Monday, was held without a point until he finished off a drive with 10:48 to play, pulling the Colonels within 57-46. He scored 10 points in just over two minutes, hitting a jumper to cut the deficit to eight at 63-55. He muscled away a rebound and scored to draw EKU within 66-65 with 3:17 to go.
King finished with 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting, adding nine rebounds and seven steals. Five players scored in double figures for Morehead, led by Broome and Hunt with 13 apiece. Potter and James Baker each scored 11.
It’s been a divergent start to the season for the two programs.
Eastern Kentucky (4-1) has shot out of the gate in the Colonels’ third season under Hamilton. EKU nearly pulled off a stunning upset at Xavier on Nov. 30, taking the Musketeers to overtime when King beat the buzzer with a three-pointer at the end of regulation.
Though Xavier held on for a 99-96 win, the Colonels surely built confidence and chemistry by playing the Musketeers so tough. Xavier is now 4-0 and received nine votes in The Associated Press Top 25 Poll released Monday.
By contrast, Morehead State (1-4) is off to a rocky start against a brutal early-season schedule. The Eagles opened with back-to-back losses in Rupp Arena in the Bluegrass Showcase to then-No. 10 Kentucky (81-45) and Richmond (82-64), which is now No. 19 in the AP poll after upsetting UK. Morehead beat Arkansas State, 69-61, in its home opener before falling 77-44 at Ohio State last week.
The Eagles get another shot at the Colonels when they host the rematch in Morehead next Monday at 7 p.m.
“It was a terrific ballgame. There’s going to be a lot of those like that in the OVC this year,” Spradlin said. “Looking forward to getting them back at our place on Monday.”
Next games
Transylvania at Morehead State
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9
Transylvania at Eastern Kentucky
When: 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 9:24 PM.
