Murray State University Athletics
Five Racers Score In Double-Figures As MSU Runs Past VASDA 99-69
11/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Five players scored in double-figures as the Murray State men's basketball team closed out its exhibition schedule with a 99-69 win over VASDA-USA tonight at the Regional Special Events Center in Murray, Ky.
Senior guard Chris Shumate and junior forward Kelvin Brown scored 20 points each, while junior forward Cuthbert Victor added 18 points and 12 rebounds as the Racers used a pair of big second half runs to blow the game open.
Junior guard Adam Chiles scored 15 points and dished out eight assists, while senior center Andi Hornig was the final Racer in double-figures with 13 points.
After leading 47-37 at the half, the Racers opened the second half with a 22-1 run to push the margin out to 59-38 with 16:30 left in the game.
VASDA cut the MSU lead down to 11 (66-55) at the 10:10 mark, but the Racers responded to put things away with a 24-2 run over a span of 5 minutes, 26 seconds for a 90-57 lead with 4:18 to go in the game.
Victor, who was 8-of-10 from the field, scored nine points in the decisive run, while senior center Andi Hornig scored seven points during the rally.
MSU was 53-percent from the field on 41-of-78 shooting, while VASDA was 26-of-59 for 44-percent. MSU out-rebounded VASDA 44-30, led by Victor's 12 and Brown's 10. MSU also forced 22 turnovers, while committing just 11.
The Racers completely dominated VASDA around the basket outscoring them 66-36 in the paint, while MSU was able to push the tempo enough to outscore them 37-7 in fast break points.
Up next, the Racers host Wagner on Saturday, Nov. 22 to open the regular-season. Tip off between the Racers and Seahawks is set for 7:15 p.m., at the Regional Special Events Center, and the game is the first of four games for MSU in the Pittsburgh Holiday Classic.
POST-GAME COMMENTS
MSU head coach Mick Cronin:
"Going into the game, I was a little bit worried that we wouldn't get anything out of it, but that turned out not to be the case. I think we learned some things about our team, and we should get better after this performance."
"Our half-court defense must get better in a hurry. We've got five practices to get better before we open things up for real against Wagner next week. The main thing we struggled with tonight was our inability to stop penetration to the basket. This team ran more one-on-one sets than the Global Sports squad did, and they exposed some of our weaknesses in defending that."
"We played with the experimental rules (trapezoid lane and International three-point line) tonight, and I think the extended three-point line did have an impact on our shooting percentage from outside. We only practiced with the extended line one day, and it made more of a difference than I thought it would. We'll keep the lines down and practice with them all week before the Wagner game, because we'll be using them in that game as a part of the Pittsburgh Holiday Classic, which is an exempt tournament."
"This was a good game for us because it allowed us to play against some veteran guys who knew how to handle the press. They did a nice job handling our pressure until they started wearing down in the second half. It was a good experience for us and it revealed exactly what areas we need to improve in."
On senior forward Cuthbert Victor:
"He turned a close game into a blowout with his effort and tenacity. He had six offensive rebounds, and he really made some things happen out there in the second half. He's been doing that his whole career."
On junior forward Kelvin Brown:
"He's got to improve his defense, but he's certainly a matchup problem for people. He brings a real level of toughness to the game and he plays so hard. He's willing to get out there and take a charge, and that's what we want out of him. He's still got plenty of areas he needs to improve, but he's got a chance to be a very good player for us this year."
