Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Tennessee State
Shumate, Brown Lead Racers In 84-78 Comeback Win At Tennessee State
1/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Senior swingman Chris Shumate knocked home four consecutive three-pointers over a span of less than four minutes on his way to a game-high 23 points to lead the Murray State Racers to an 84-78 come-from-behind road win over Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee State tonight in Nashville.
With TSU holding a 70-68 lead with 4:41 to go in the game, Shumate, a native of Louisville, Ky., scored the game's next nine points on three-straight three-pointers and added a fourth with :29 seconds to go to put the game away for the Racers.
Overall, Shumate was 7-of-10 from the field, including a career-high six three-pointers on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
The win keeps MSU (15-3, 5-1 OVC) alone in second place in the OVC standings while the Tigers (4-13, 3-3 OVC) have now dropped two-straight conference games to fall into a four-way tie for fourth place.
Junior forward Kelvin Brown had another big night in the OVC as the native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was 6-of-10 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line for 22 points. Senior forward Cuthbert Victor was the final Racer scoring in double-figures with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. Victor also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season and the 25th of his career.
The two teams combined to go 21-of-51 on three-pointers, while the game featured five ties and four lead changes, the final coming with 4:23 left in the game after a Shumate three-pointer gave the Racers the lead for good at 71-70.
MSU opened the game by rolling out to a quick 21-11 lead with 13:22 to go before the Tigers bounced back with a 23-5 run to gain a 34-26 advantage with 6:21 left in the first half. The Racers came back to close the first half with an 8-2 run to trail 36-34 at halftime.
The Tigers opened the second half by scoring the first eight points for a 44-34 lead with 18:45 left in the game. After first-year MSU head coach Mick Cronin called a 30-second timeout, the Racers used a 20-4 run over a span of 5 minutes, 40 seconds to take a 54-48 lead with 12:49 to go.
TSU came back to regain the lead on two occasions at 68-66 (6:13 to go) and at 70-68 (4:41 to go) before Shumate's three-point barrage pushed the Racers in front for good.
Overall, MSU was 29-of-54 from the field for 53.7 percent, including an amazing 18-of-29 (62.1%) in the second half, while TSU was 31-of-62 for 50 percent overall and 17-of-29 (58.6%) over the final 20 minutes.
The Racers controlled the glass outrebounding the Tigers 36-27 led by Victor's 11 caroms, while MSU also dished out 23 assists led by senior forward Antione Whelchel's career-high eight dimes to go with nine points. Junior guard Adam Chiles chipped in with six assists while scoring seven points and pulling three steals in 26 minutes of action.
Up next, MSU steps out of conference play to take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Monday at 7:05 p.m. at Circle K Court in Corpus Christi, Texas.
POST-GAME COMMENTS
MSU head coach Mick Cronin:
"Tennessee State played a zone for most of the game, and it was good strategy on (TSU head coach) Coach Alexander's part because it forced us to be very patient. We had to be patient and work the ball inside to try and get open looks, and it really tried our patience as a team. We got a little bit impatient at times because we're so used to being on the attack offensively and pushing the ball to the basket. That's the first time all year that anybody's played a zone against us for a whole game. It was a scary situation because I could see our guys' frustration. We are very fortunate to get out of here with a win, especially when you consider how well TSU shot it from the field."
"I've been preaching defense for a while now, and we've obviously got to do a better job of it than we did tonight as the season continues to move forward. I wanted to play more zone early in the game, but they scared me with how well they were shooting it. When we did go to some zone, it seemed to get TSU to doing a little more standing around and they seemed to settle for some quick shots early the possession. We really struggled to guard people off the dribble, as everybody in college basketball does at times. But the teams that really win a lot are able to defend guys off the dribble, and they're able to get defensive stops when they need to. We didn't do it for the whole game tonight, but we did get the stops when we needed them the most."
"Overall, this was a quality win for us. TSU was fired up to play, and they were extremely hot. Coach Alexander has definitely gotten the mindset of his players in the right direction, and they're a very competitive team because of all of their athleticism. We'll certainly have to be ready to play when this team comes to the RSEC (Regional Special Events Center in Murray) later this season. I'm proud of our guys because they found a way to get a conference road win against a hot-shooting basketball team."
"All three of those shots Chris (Shumate) hit in that run was a result of our guys making the extra pass. We came down and really worked the ball against their zone, which you're supposed to do. We found our best shooter for wide-open shots and Chris knocked them down. We've struggled with making three's this season, but the biggest key is getting the right guys to taking the shots. Tonight, we did a better job of working the ball and finding the right guys to shot it, and we hit a better percentage."
"The games with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi are a direct result of the Pittsburgh Tournament because we're allowed to play three extra games. It gives us a chance to get a few more wins which could make us a little more attractive to any post-season committee. The 30-game schedule also allows us to get a little more experience because our guys get a little more game action. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is an independent and doesn't have a conference affiliation right now, so they were looking for some games in January and February. It'll be a challenge to go down and win on the road. They like to get up and down the floor, and it should be an interesting game. I'm sure it'll be a big game for them because we are 15-3, and hopefully we'll be able to keep our focus and get a win."
