Murray State
Delaware State
Victor Leads The Way With Another Double-Double As MSU Moves To 10-1
12/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Senior forward Cuthbert Victor led the way for Murray State with 21 points and 12 rebounds as the Racers improved to 10-1 on the season with a 65-56 road win over Delaware State today at Memorial Hall in Dover, Del.
With the 10-1 start, the 2003-04 Racers are just the fourth MSU team since 1982 to open with 10 wins through 11 games joining the 1982-83 team, the 1997-98 team and the 1998-99 team.
Victor, who entered the game third in the nation in rebounding (11.4 per game) and fifth in field goal percentage (69-of-100 for 69%), earned his sixth double-double of the season while shooting 7-of-10 from the field to finish with game-highs in both points and rebounds.
Senior forward Antione Whelchel continued his hot play of late with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and seven rebounds, while senior guard Chris Shumate was 4-of-5 from the field for nine points.
Junior guard Adam Chiles led the way with five assists to go with eight points, while senior center Andi Hornig, earning his second start of the season, pulled down seven rebounds to go with five points.
MSU, ranked 32nd in the Sagarin Ratings and 43rd in the RPI rankings according to CBS Sportsline.com entering the day, used a strong second half to take command of a tight game after the first 20 minutes.
Holding just a 26-24 lead at the half, the Racers opened the second half by outscoring the Hornets (1-6) 25-9 for a 51-33 advantage with just over eight minutes left in the game. The MSU lead reached 18 for a second time at 58-40 with less than six minutes to go before DSU was able to cut the margin to single digits inside the final minute.
The Racers, ranked third in this week's ESPN Mid-Major Top 10, finished 22-of-45 (48.8%) from the field, including 12-of-19 (63.1%) in the second half.
The Hornets, playing their first home game of the season after suffering single-digit road losses at Michigan (55-50), UNLV (65-59) and Georgetown (63-54) as well as road defeats at Creighton and Nebraska, were held to just 42.5 percent from the field on 23-of-54 shooting.
The big key for the Racers was on the glass where MSU outrebounded DSU 40-23 led by Victor's 12 caroms.
Up next, MSU continues its road swing with a showdown with nationally-ranked Louisville on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. CT at Freedom Hall.
The matchup between the Racers and Cardinals, who enter the game fresh off of beating previously unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Kentucky on Saturday evening, will be the first for MSU's first-year head coach Mick Cronin against UofL head coach Rick Pitino. Cronin served as an assistant to Pitino for two seasons at Louisville prior to taking over the head coaching job at MSU in April.
POST-GAME COMMENTS
MSU head coach Mick Cronin:
"I'm really proud of our guys' effort today. It was a tough game and Delaware State was 11-0 at home last year. They've played an unbelievably tough schedule so far, and I told our guys that if we had played that schedule, we might be 1-5 too. They're very well-coached and they've got talent. I told our guys before the game that we weren't going to have one of our patented, blow-out runs. We knew they were a slow, deliberate team that was going to grind it on us. I didn't think we were going to turn the ball over the way we did in the first half, but it was a tale of two halves."
"Needless to say, we talked a lot about rebounding after the Georgetown game (on Dec. 22). Andi Hornig was big for us. Rebounding was an area where we needed his help and he gave us seven big rebounds today. He gave us some quality minutes."
"Passing is also a big thing for us. We only had six assists in the first half versus 13 turnovers. In the second half, we had 10 assists and four turnovers. Delaware State really scrambled and trapped a lot in the half court. They don't let you run plays and they're a very unusual opponent to prepare for. Once we settled down and adjusted to their unusual defensive style, we were able to catch it and pass it and get it down low to Cuffy (Victor) where he could finish it. We got in a little bit of rush in the first half, and it's a credit to them and their defense."
"I told our guys that the Delaware State game was a bigger game than the Louisville game for us. You have to win the games you're supposed to win in college basketball. You can't blow this game and expect to go beat Louisville. You've got to win this game and then go take your shot. Now, we can go up to Louisville and let it all hang out. We're still in a good position no matter what happens up there. This (at Delaware State) is the kind of game that, at the end of the year, people forget about. But, the teams that I've been around that have had great seasons, they were able to grind it out and win the tough games on the road like this one."
On the upcoming game at Louisville:
"They just beat the No. 1 team in the nation on the road. They also beat Florida when they were ranked No. 1, and they've beaten Seton Hall as well. I wanted this game, more than anything else, for the five guys we've got on our team from the Louisville area. It allows those kids to play in Freedom Hall, and that's something they'll never forget."
"Obviously, we're going to have to go in there and handle their pressure to have a chance to win. They should probably be ranked fifth or sixth in the nation after the win over Kentucky, but this is what it's all about. We want to test ourselves. We get a chance to see what we learned from the Pittsburgh game. We get another shot at a team with some serious talent, and we'll have to handle their pressure and find ways to get good shots. It'll be a fun time for us until they throw that ball up, and hopefully, we'll be able to handle the environment and the pressure. I'm concerned with Louisville's defensive pressure more than anything else."
"The main thing I'm looking for is for us to play well. Basketball is about March. I'm looking for us to go in and handle their defensive pressure because we're going to see that on the road in the OVC. Tennessee Tech is a very aggressive team defensively and that's what we must get ready for. To win the OVC title, we're going to have to handle some hostile environments, so, it's a chance for us to see that in a serious way."
