LOGAN, Utah--Morehead State men's basketball recovered from a second-half seven point deficit and held on to a tight lead in the final three minutes to defeat Cal State Fullerton, 69-62 in their final game of the Basketball Travelers Invitational.
It was MSU's first win in the three-game tournament after dropping a pair of heartbreakers, losing by a combined nine points in the previous two games. Senior Maze Stallworth and junior Kenneth Faried both earned a spot on the BTI All-Tournament Team.
"I thought our kids played extremely hard all three nights and tonight we finally go in the win side of the column," Eagle coach Donnie Tyndall said.
MSU took a lead with 3:40 to play on a lay-up by junior Demonte Harper. The Eagles pushed that lead out, and secured the win by sinking 4-of-6 free throws in the final 30 seconds. Morehead State did not allow the Titans to sink a field goal in the final five minutes of play, forcing five turnovers during that stretch and keeping CSF at 0-for-6 from the field.
The Eagles (5-6) had played that same stifling defense the entire game, forcing the Titans into 23 turnovers, 13 of which came off steals. MSU turned those 23 takeaways into 25 points. On the flip side, Morehead State only committed 10 turnovers.
"Tonight we only turned the ball over 10 times. If we play with 12 turnovers or less we are going to be a tough team to beat, regardless of who we are playing," Tyndall said.
Morehead State also was more effective in driving the basketball against Fullerton. MSU scored 28 points in the paint and made 28 trips to the charity stripe compared to 14 trips by the Titans.
"The other thing is we got to the foul line more than our opponent," Tyndall said. "Not only did we get there more than them, we doubled them."
Faried scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Faried, who entered the game 22 points shy of 1,000 for his career, needs just three points to become the 29th player in MSU history to hit the millennium mark. Harper added 18 points and Stallworth scored 13 points. Senior Brandon Shingles tallied five assists.
Devon Peltier scored 15 points and Orane Chin scored 11 to lead Fullerton. Jer'Vaughn Johnson scored 10 points and eight rebounds. It marked the 24th straight game the Titans have lost in Utah State's Spectrum.
The Eagles will be off through Christmas before resuming play at South Dakota Dec. 28 at 8 p.m.
Rowan County Sports
Eagles grit out defensive win in tournament finale over Cal State Fullerton
- Rowan County Sports
-
-
Lady Vikings roll Menifee, ready for Ashland
After Menifee County gave Rowan County a run for their money a couple of weeks ago, there was no messing around in Friday night’s home rematch.
-
Rowan catches fire against East
As a struggling East Carter squad entered the Vikings domain Friday night, not many expected to see the Raiders give Rowan much of a game.
-
Falcons fly high against Winchester
It was a big night offensively for Lakeside’s boys varsity basketball as they put up big numbers against big numbers against visiting Winchester Christian Academy, winning, 81-67.
-
Lakeside girls win big in Lexington
At 17-1, the Lady Falcons are currently riding a six-game winning streak following its win on the road Saturday against Trinity Christian Academy, 47-18.
-
7th and 8th Vikings advance in OVC
Following big home wins to cap off the regular season against Russell on Thursday, the middle school Vikings continued its sweet success.
-
In The Post: VIDEO - Viking senior night exclusive
The Rowan County Vikings had a successful senior night as they defeated the Fleming County Panthers 75-64 on Monday.
Following the game, The Morehead News spoke with the Viking seniors about the win.
Click headline for video.
-
Viking seniors celebrate with Panther hunt
A pre-game ceremony marked the accomplishments of four years of hard work, determination and accomplishments for Rowan County basketball’s senior players, Adam Wing, D.J. Townsend, Phillip Hodge and Jason Egan.
-
Lady Viking seniors sail away with win
Rowan County celebrated its seniors with a girls/boys doubleheader against Fleming County on Monday night. The Lady Vikings were up first, as they held on for the win despite a late comeback effort by the Lady Panthers, winning 65-58.
-
In the Post: Coach Baldridge visits Baltimore
Former Morehead State football coach Bill Baldridge is a man of many friends, travels and talents. Baldridge holds a high school state championship, a Kentucky high school coach of the year honor and has even coached some of the game’s greatest players, such as NFL legend Phil Simms.
-
Hughes signs with Georgetown
It is every high school athlete's dream to play at the next level. For Viking senior kicker Rhett Hughes, this was a dream that came true as he signed on Thursday afternoon to handle field goal and kickoff duties for Georgetown College.
- More Rowan County Sports Headlines
-
