Leathernecks miss 25 of 32 shots in first half, lose first meeting with OVC leader Morehead State

MOREHEAD, KY. — A slow start at the offensive end was too much to overcome for the Western Illinois men as they split their road trip this week, falling on Saturday at Morehead State 64-50.

The game between the Leathernecks (13-8, 6-2) and Eagles (16-5, 7-1) was a matchup of the top two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference, with Morehead State claiming the first meeting between the two teams. The schools meet again in Macomb on February 22.

The Leathernecks struggled from the field in the opening half, shooting 7-32 (21.9 percent) from the field and 1-8 from three (12.5 percent) in the opening 20 minutes. The shooting had the team behind 28-20 at half. 

The offense picked it up a little after the break, but it was not enough as the Leathernecks never drew closer than seven points.

The defense gave the team a chance as Western Illinois held the Eagles 13 points below their season scoring average. 

Ryan Myers and Jesiah West led the offense with Myers scoring 11 and West adding 10. JJ Kalakon added eight points and 10 rebounds while Drew Cisse had six points and 14 boards. Quinlan Bennett chipped in with seven points. James Dent Jr. added six points off the bench.

The Leathernecks finished the game shooting 29 percent from the field (18-62) while the Eagles shot 43 percent (25-58). Points in the paint were a big difference as MSU outscored the Leathernecks 44-22.

Western Illinois remains on the road the next two games, playing at Lindenwood on Thursday night and at SEMO on Saturday afternoon.

The Leathernecks are back inside Western Hall on February 8 when they host Little Rock.