The Morehead State women’s basketball team earned its first postseason victory in program history in March as they defeated Ohio State 71-61 in the first round of the 2019 Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Senior guard Aliyah Jeune knocked down five of seven triples in the second half as Morehead State erased a 11-point deficit to come from behind for the win. Columbus native and guard Darianne Seward (19) shined in her first collegiate game back in her hometown as she added 17 points while racking up five assists.
Morehead State improved to 24-10 with the win.
“It’s an awesome moment tonight,” said Head Coach Greg Todd. “You go through such a long season and have a lot of shining moments, but I thought tonight was an example of us playing our best basketball at tournament time. Every player played to their role.”
Jeune, who went above 80 three-pointers for the season, scored a team-best 20 points and added nine rebounds as the Eagles out-rebounded the Buckeyes squad 44-34.
Graduate student McKenzie Calvert added 15 points, six rebounds and four assists while Miranda Crockett (19) extended her streak of double-figure scoring games to 38 with 10 points.
Morehead State shot 41 percent (27-of-66) for the game, but the important factor was the Eagles’ 50 percent (16-of-32) effort in the second half run. Ohio State hit 41 percent overall but MSU held the Big 10 foe to just five of 18 from long range.
The Eagles would eventually go on to lose in the second round of the WNIT in a hard-fought game with the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers with a score of 68-65.
The MSU Women’s Basketball Team finished with an overall record of 24-11 and an OVC conference record of 13-5.
For more information about women’s basketball and other sports at MSU, visit www.msueagles.com.
