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Final Shot Lifts Women's Basketball To Victory

MSU Athletics

Senior guard Shanice Parker drilled a three from the top of the arc with 12.9 seconds remaining, and the Morehead State women's basketball team hung on for a 62-59 win over Ohio Valley Conference opponent Southeast Missouri on Monday night (Jan. 20) at MSU’s Johnson Arena.

The Eagles, who snap a three-game skid, improve to 9-10 overall, 3-3 in conference play and 3-7 at home. The Redhawks, who have now dropped five of their last six, slip to 5-13 overall, 1-4 in league action and 2-8 on the road. The victory was MSU's ninth straight over SEMO.

"We got behind really big in the first half, but we battled back and got a lead at the half. That was big," Head Coach Tom Hodges said. "I always felt like we were controlling the game, but we just couldn't push it out to a comfortable lead. Sometime during this year, Shanice decided to be a player. All the accolades she gets and the praise, she completely deserves."

Parker's long ball -- her fourth of the evening -- produced the game's 11th lead change, and gave Morehead State a 60-59 advantage. MSU senior guard Terrice Robinson added two free throws with 2.2 ticks to play and Southeast Missouri missed its final two shots of the night.

"I saw my defender left me open, so instead of driving, I just took a shot," Parker said. "I had a lot of confidence in myself."

Parker finished with 15 points to tie her career high set in the season-opener against Norfolk State. Junior guard Almesha Jones tied her season high with a game-best 20 points. She also had eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. Jones has produced 35 points, 17 assists and 15 rebounds in Morehead State's last two games. Robinson added 15 points and now needs just seven more to reach 1,000 for her career.

"I thought our energy was a really high level for a second straight game," Hodges said. "When you play with that much energy, you get rewarded."

Southeast Missouri got a team-high 18 points from Jordan Hunter and 14 from Allyson Bradshaw. Patricia Mack grabbed a game-best 13 rebounds as the visitors held a slight 32-27 rebounding edge.

SEMO nailed its first seven field goals and staked itself to a 21-11 lead with 9:46 left in the first half. The Eagles constructed a 17-4 run over the next 5:56 and took their first lead following Parker's three-pointer at the 3:46 mark, 28-25. MSU held a 50-45 cushion with 8:45 remaining before the Redhawks used an 8-2 run to regain the lead, 53-52.

The lead wavered back and forth until a pair of Bradshaw free throws with 1:24 left pushed SEMO to a 59-57 advantage. Following a missed three-pointer by Hunter with 29 ticks left, the Eagles called a timeout. Parker got a pass 12 seconds later, stepped back and nailed the game-winner as the clock ticked just under 13 seconds.

Morehead State finished with 44 percent efficiency (21-of-48) overall and 38 percent (8-of-21) from three-point range. The Redhawks shot 46 percent (21-of-46), but MSU limited their foes to just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc.

The Eagles continue OVC action on Saturday (Jan. 25) at Tennessee State and Monday (Jan. 27) at Belmont.

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