VERMILLION, S.D.--After winning last Wednesday against Cal State Fullerton, Morehead State men’s basketball rolled back in to the west Monday to face the University of South Dakota. Tip off was set for 8 p.m. at the Coyotes’ DakotaDome.
The Eagles played well enough to win all three games at the tournament, but only came away with one, meaning a win Monday would even up the MSU record heading into the rest of the Ohio Valley Conference season.
Morehead State now has three players averaging double figure. Maze Stallworth joined Kenneth Faried (16.6 ppg) and Demonte Harper (13.4 ppg) after a 21-point performance in the Weber State game and having scored in double figures in four of the last five games. The Eagles have been strong in the past four games, having posted a 2-2 record with every game being decided by fewer than 10 points. Defensively MSU has been strong, including forcing Cal State Fullerton into 23 turnovers.
South Dakota is in the middle of a transition to NCAA Division I. A former Division II school, USD is a member of the recently formed Great West Conference. The Coyotes have six wins, but only two of those have come over Division I teams (Texas A&M; Corpus Christi and Binghamton). But the two most recent losses, to Drake and Wyoming, were close and could have swung USD’s way.
Three San Diego players average double-figure scoring, Jake Thomas (14.3 ppg), Tyler Cain (13.7 ppg) and Mitchell Bouie (10.8 ppg). Cain also leads the Coyotes with 7.8 rebounds per game.
After Monday, the Eagles will not play until the new year when they return home to face Austin Peay on ESPNU at 9 p.m. on Jan. 2. MSU is encouraging all fans to wear black to black out Johnson Arena. Fans wearing black will receive $1 admission.
