Murray State
UT Martin
Six Racers Score In Double-Figures As MSU Runs Past UTM 94-70
1/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Murray State men's basketball team ran out to an early 10-0 lead and never looked back as six Racers scored in double-figures in a 94-70 home win over Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee-Martin tonight at the Regional Special Events Center in Murray, Ky.
Junior forward Kelvin Brown led the way for MSU (14-3, 4-1 OVC) with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while senior guard Chris Shumate added 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from behind the three-point line.
Senior forward Antione Whelchel and freshman forward Shawn Witherspoon finished with 13 points each, while senior guard Rick Jones had his second-straight double-figure scoring effort with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the three-point line. Senior forward Cuthbert Victor had another solid effort with 10 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season and the 24th of his career.
The Racers scored the game's first 10 points while holding UTM (5-12, 0-5 OVC) scoreless for the first 5 minutes, 44 seconds of the game. After the Skyhawks cut the MSU lead down to two at 12-10 with 12:26 to go, MSU used another 10-0 run to push the margin back out to double-digits for good at 22-10 on a pair of Victor free throws with 10:05 left in the first half.
MSU pushed its lead out to as many as 21 points in the first half at 39-18 with 4:58 to go before settling for a 49-35 lead at halftime.
The Racers put away any thoughts of a Skyhawk comeback by scoring the first six points of the second half for a 55-34 lead with 17:57 to go. MSU's largest lead of the night was 32 at 92-60 with 3:36 to play before UTM was able to cut the margin down over the closing moments.
Overall, the Racers dominated in every statistical category firing at an impressive 55.4 percent clip from the field on 36-of-65 shooting while holding the Skyhawks to 45.2 percent on 28-of-62 shooting. MSU outrebounded UTM 38-31 led by Victor's game-high 11 caroms.
MSU outscored UTM 50-30 in the paint and turned 16 Skyhawk turnovers into 26 points. The Racers also finished with 22 assists led by senior guard Adam Chiles' game-high five dimes.
Up next, MSU returns to the road to take on OVC rival Tennessee State on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Gentry Complex in Nashville, Tenn.
POST-GAME COMMENTS
MSU head coach Mick Cronin:
"I'm a little happier with our defense tonight. We executed our half-court defense well enough to get the lead early on. We haven't been executing our half-court defense well enough when we're in our press, so tonight we wanted to play well in the half court before we ever moved to the press. We're going to have to keep working to become a good defensive team for 94 feet because we're not there yet. I wanted to send a message to our guys that we're going to play defense the right way and that starts in the half court. Overall, I'm happy with this win."
"Obviously, Coach Campbell and his team are trying to find themselves after their losses to injuries. I know it's tough for them, and I'm pleased that our guys didn't take that as an excuse to take the night off."
"We made some three's tonight, and it's because we passed the ball inside and then kicked it back out. We've emphasized the inside-out game, and the key for us is to make the extra pass. We're also to the point where I'm calling an offensive play and Antione Whelchel is already checking off to a back door cut for a layup. We've got to be able to do that because team's are going to take away our first options."
"We won tonight through our defense. Through the first nine minutes of the second half, Tennessee-Martin only had 11 points and that was the key to putting this game away. That's what I was looking for out of the lockerroom in the second half, and I'm pleased with our progress tonight."
"Tennessee State is 3-1 in the league and they're tied for second in the league. That says enough about our game with them on Saturday. This is a big game for us because they're all big. Our guys have some lofty goals and to have a chance at achieving those goals, they must approach every game as a big one."
MSU freshman forward Shawn Witherspoon:
"We came out and did what we had to in our half-court defense. Coach Cronin wanted us to make stops in our half-court defense before we ever looked to jump in the press."
"I'm starting to get more and more comfortable in practice and in the games with my position and my role. As I get more and more familiar with my position, I think I can continue to help this team."
