Golden Eagles lose late second-half lead, fall 56-50 at Morehead State

MOREHEAD, Ky. – Tennessee Tech led by as many as eight in the second-half, but fell victim to some pinpoint 3-point shooting by Morehead State in the closing minutes, falling 56-50 at Johnson Arena on Saturday.

Tech held a 50-49 lead with 2:39 left to play, but wouldn't score the rest of the way as Morehead went on a 7-0 run to end the game. Ty Proffitt sank a three-pointer with 1:44 left to give the Eagles a 52-50 lead and then hit two free throws with 22 seconds left to make the game a two-possession affair.

After a Kevin Murphy turnover, Tech was forced to foul Drew Kelly, who hit two more free throws to secure the victory for the Eagles.

With the loss, the Golden Eagles fall to 13-9 overall and 5-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference, while Morehead State improves to 12-11 and 5-4 in the OVC. The two squads split the season series after Tech won 66-55 in Cookeville on Jan. 7.

Kevin Murphy scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, notching his second double-double of the season while also contributing a team-high five assists. Jud Dillard added 18 points and went 7-for-10 from the field, and the Golden Eagles got five points apiece from Zac Swansey and Liam McMorrow. Swansey added four assists.

Murphy moved into third on Tech's all-time scoring list, surpassing John Best. He now has 1,777 points as a Golden Eagle and needs 29 points to tie Stephen Kite in second.

Dillard came into Saturday's game needing 21 points to become the 34^th member of the Tech's 1,000-point club. He needs just three points to reach the milestone heading into Monday night's home game against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

Bassey Inameti also moved up on Tech's career blocked shots list on Saturday, swatting away two Morehead State attempts to pass both Jonathan Jones and Eric Akins and move into fourth all-time.

Proffitt led Morehead State with 20 points and five rebounds while Drew Kelly added 15 points and four boards.

Tech trailed from the get-go and played from behind through the entirety of the first half, going into the break trailing 25-23. The Golden Eagles were quick to seize control in the second half, however, taking a 26-25 lead on a Dillard jumper with 17:27 left.

The Golden Eagles built their lead to five at the 15:30 mark, but Morehead State reclaimed the advantage at 34-33 with 12:49 left. Tech would surge again, building a six-point lead at the 10-minute mark and extending that to its largest lead of the evening at 44-36 on a baseline jump shot by Murphy with 7:15 left.

Tech led by eight again at 46-38, but from there, Morehead State outscored the Golden Eagles 18-4 down the stretch.

The Golden Eagles face a quick turnaround as they host SIU Edwardsville on Monday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Eblen Center. For ticket information, call (931) 372-3940 or visit www.TTUSports.com.