MACOMB, IL – A slow start at home hurt the Western Illinois men’s basketball team on Thursday as the Leathernecks fell to Ohio Valley Conference leader Morehead State 78-57 on Thursday.
The Leathernecks (17-11, 10-5 in the OVC) fell behind 17-5 in the first 10 minutes as the Eagles flexed their muscles at both ends of the floor, leading by 13 at halftime.
Western Illinois came out of half hot, cutting the deficit to seven, 45-38 at the 16:05 mark on a JJ Kalakon three-pointer but Morehead State went on a 16-1 run to pull away for good.
The Leathernecks were led by Ryan Myers, who scored 15 points. Jesiah West added 12. Drew Cisse added eight points and 12 rebounds.
As a team, Western Illinois went 19-62 from the field, 8-26 from three, and 11-17 from the line. The Eagles outrebounded the Leathernecks 45-26 and outscored WIU in the paint 28-18 and 23-13 on second-chance points.
The loss drops the Leathernecks to fourth in the OVC, one game back of UT Martin and Little Rock for second and 1.5 games behind first-place Morehead State. Western Illinois is next in action on Saturday, hosting Southern Indiana at 3:30 p.m.
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