It is an Education Day even with 1000 local elementary students. EKU is in Richmond Kentucky, game is in Baptist Health Arena. EKU is of to their best start in many years at 7-1. Miami is 1-4. Eastern has piled up 3 easy wins over small schools and lost to #4 Utah by 43 points in Alaska. Probably the 4 games vs mid majors give us more information. They won all 4, by 2 at SIUE, by11 at home vs Northern Kentucky, by 2 at Evansville, and by 4 vs UAB in Alaska.
They have a super star, in her second year at EKU, she used to play for Marquette. 5-11 Grad Student Antwainette Walker is averaging 25.3 ppg, third in the nation. She is classified as “day to day” by their medical staff. Eastern is 18th in the nation in A/TO ratio. She was very good last year in Oxford, but we won the game. Miami leads the series 10-9.
Jada Scott continues to lead Miami in scoring at 12.8 ppg and rebounding at 5.2 rpg.
At the first media TO, it is EKU up 12-8. We started out in a Box and 1 on Walker. Then later we switched to a full court press. Walker has 4 points so far.
20-15 at the end of the 1st quarter. Eastern hit 4 threes, including one at the buzzer. We had few shots, but hit 7 out of 10. Jada Scott has 9 and Jurjo has 4. Walker has been held to 4. but when we play the box and one we are giving open 3’s and they hit several.
Cori Lard, who did not play Sunday at MSU, is playing today.
EKU is up 7 halfway through the second period. Katey Richason just limped off the court with a lower leg injury. Only 3 RedHawks have scored. Jada Scott has 11, Jurjo has 7, Edwards has 5. Turner leads Eastern with 10.
EKU opens it up to 41-27 at the half. They started pressing, and our lack of ballhandling and scoring ability from our guards showed up again. We are up to 15 turnovers, and are on pace for a second straight 30 turnover game. In the half court, we have played them about even.
For EKU both of their guards have 10 and 9 and Walker has 9. EKU is shooting 43%, Miami is down to 38%. Tretter, Jadyn Scott, and Richason have really done almost nothing in this game.
We are outrebounding them 20-16, that is consistently our best stat. After Katey Richason hobbled off, we lost our edge inside as well. She had 5 rebounds in limited action.
This game has turned into a disaster. Tretter and Nurjo both had 4 fouls so we are playing without those two and Richason ( who has not returned to the bench, a bad sign).own 27 at the end of 3. Besides turning the ball over, we are also now getting beat badly inside.
74-49 at the 5 and under TO in the 4th quarter. Tretter fouled out scoreless. Eastern is now way ahead of us in rebounding. We are at 21 turnovers. Scott has 20 and Edwards 13.
85-55 final. Katey Richason never returned to the bench in the second half. This was a depressing game to watch. The best and maybe only way to fix all this is, unfortunately by recruiting. But there is a long season to go and you have to keep working to get better. When a team gets pounded 2 games in a row on the road and the schedule shows no let up, it can crush a team’s spirit. There was plenty of evidence of that today. So coaches have their work cut out for them now.