BEREA, Ky. -- After suffering a heartbreaking loss to Simmons (Ky.) earlier in the week, the Midway men's basketball team returned to the hardwood on Saturday (Dec. 17) when they traveled to Berea (Ky.) in their final game heading into the Christmas Break.

With the game tied at 59 with just over six minutes remaining, the Eagles went on a quick 6-0 run and eventually closed the game on an 18-7 run en route to the 77-66 victory.

With the win, Joe Krupinski's squad improves to 8-5 overall on the season, while the Mountaineers slip to 6-5 overall following the loss.

In a game that saw nine ties and 17 lead changes, the Eagles had one of their better shooting performances of the season shooting 50.8 percent from the floor. They also hit 11-of-25 from behind the arc for 44.0 percent.

The opening 20 minutes saw neither team lead by more than four points as Berea would take a 33-32 lead into the locker room thanks to their streaky shooting from the three-point line.

The Mountaineers shot just 37.5 percent from the floor in the first half, but they managed to hit 7-of-18 from behind the arc for 38.9 percent. Berea's defense also forced Midway into eight turnovers and just 43.8 percent shooting from the floor.

Midway stayed in the game in the second half thanks to their effort on the defensive end. The second half saw Berea hit just 2-of-12 from long distance, while the Eagles also forced nine Mountaineer turnovers.

The Eagles faced a 52-51 deficit with 9:44 left, but they started to take control of the game on the heels of a 6-0 run. Will VanHook (West Palm Beach, Fla.) opened the run with a layup before TJ O'Connor (Miami, Fla.) hit a jumper. Donnie Miller (Newport, Ky.) then gave his team a five-point edge with 8:11 left after hitting 2-of-2 at the charity stripe.

After Berea tied the game at 59 with 6:03 left in regulation, the Eagles put the game away with a 6-0 run. Dae'Shawn White (Newport, Ky.) hit a trey to open the rally before Nick Keeton (Paintsville, Ky.) converted an 'and-one'. They later closed the game on an 8-2 run to help seal the 77-66 victory.

The Eagles had five players reach double figures led by the duo of O'Connor and Miller who finished with 18 and 17 points respectively. The two led the charge in the second half where O'Connor scored 16 of his 18 and Miller scored 12 of his 17.

Keeton scored a career-high 16 points in the win hitting 8-of-11 from the floor, while VanHook scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds. White, meanwhile, scored 11 off the bench.

Joe Krupinski's team will now enjoy the Christmas and New Year holidays before returning to action on January 5, 2023 when they travel to Pittsburgh for a matchup against Point Park (Pa.).

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