INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Despite being tied at the half, Morehead State men’s basketball saw Butler pull ahead as MSU fell 68-50 at Hinkle Fieldhouse Friday night.
The Eagles fell to 4-2, while Butler stayed perfect at 5-0.
Indianapolis native and junior guard Justin Thomas, playing in front of a large contingent of hometown friends and family, put together yet another all-around solid effort. “Juice” finished with a game-high and career-high 11 rebounds while scoring eight and dishing out a game high six assists. The nation’s second-ranked takeaway specialist also collected three more steals.
Another Indianapolis product, senior guard Djimon Henson, sank three triples and scored a team-high 11 points, joined by junior forward James Baker for team-high scoring honors.
Morehead State wraps up the Hall of Fame Classic on Tuesday at William and Mary with tip time at 7:30 p.m. ET.
KEY MOMENTS
– Henson’s first three-pointer of the night came at 7:26 of the first half to give his team a 21-18 lead.
– A 7-0 Butler run put the hosts back out in front before Henson drilled another triple at the 4:48 mark.
– The Eagles and Bulldogs were knotted 30-30 at the half.
– An 14-3 Butler scoring run over a four-minute span in the second half pushed out the hosts to a 46-35 lead after a three-pointer with 11:30 left.
– Butler built its largest lead (61-42) with 4:02 left but a 6-0 run by the Eagles, capped by LJ Bryan’s offensive rebound and put-back, pulled MSU closer.
KEY STATS
– Morehead State forced nine Butler turnovers, one more than the Bulldogs’ second-ranked turnover efficiency at just eight per game.
– Heading into the game at just 57 percent free throw shooting, the Eagles nailed 13 of 17 from the free stripe tonight.
– The lead changed nine times and the teams were tied 12 times.
– MSU only allowed six offensive rebounds.
– Of the 16 personal fouls committed by the home team, Baker drew six of them.
– The Eagles were limited to only 28 percent shooting from the floor in the second half.
QUOTING COACH SPRADLIN
“Once again, we played extremely hard and I was proud of our effort. This team has the makings to be an extremely strong defensive team. In the second half, Butler just didn’t allow us to hit shots. I thought we took them out of some of the stuff they wanted to do with our defense. I believe in this team and trust this team will be very good.”
