BOX SCORE

MOREHEAD, KY — Riley Minix collected 30 points and Drew Thelwell scored his most markers against a conference opponent (17) this season to help lead the Morehead State men’s basketball team over the SIUE Cougars 79-68 at home Thursday.

The Eagles (19-5, 10-1 OVC) had three players score in double figures, led by Minix, who put together his OVC high 11th double-double with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Thelwell tacked on his 17 points and seven assists, and Kalil Thomas helped out with 15 points.

The Morehead State offense was impressive from beyond the arc, making 13 threes on 27 attempts. Minix hit four treys for the Eagles in the contest, while the Eagle defense forced the Cougars to hit only 3-of-21 from deep.

The Eagles’ win marked their 17th consecutive home victory, tying for fourth in the nation. It also marked the Eagles’ sixth straight win and 11th win in the last 12 games.

Thelwell was part of his 87th win since 2020-21, tying Terrence Hill for the most individual wins in program history.

Demarco Minor had 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Ray’Sean Taylor led the Cougars in scoring with 22.

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 23-19 advantage, Morehead State went on a 6-0 run with 4:56 left in the first half to increase its lead to 29-19. The Eagles then added one point to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 37-26 advantage. Morehead State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down eight shots to account for 24 of its 37 points.

Morehead State kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Minix’s three, to grow the lead to 54-45 with 12:55 to go in the contest. SIUE trimmed the margin back to six (54-48) with 11:15 left, but that’s as close as it got. The Eagles kept expanding the margin, leading by double digits for the 9:14, and coasted the rest of the way for the 79-68 win.

Game Notes

» The Eagles shot well from three point range, knocking down 13 of 27 long range attempts. In the loss at SIUE on Jan. 13, MSU was just 3-of-27.
» The Eagles held the Cougars to only 40 percent shooting from the field.
» Morehead State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Morehead State recorded 16 total assists in the game.
» Riley Minix, Drew Thelwell, and Kalil Thomas combined to account for 78 percent of the Eagles points.
» Morehead State is now 12-0 this season when it shoots 50 percent or better. MSU hit 51 percent (23-of-45) tonight.Up Next

MSU continues a homestand by hosting Eastern Illinois Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.