Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Saint Mary (CA)
Outside shooting game helps St. Mary's beat Racers 75-62
12/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
A St. Mary's feast and a Murray State famine from behind the arc spelled much of the difference in the championship game of the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic tonight, as the host Gaels won the title over the Racers 75-62.
St. Mary's (11-4) went 9-for-21 from three-point range, hitting 42.9 percent of those shots, while MSU (5-4) made only three of its 13 three-point attempts, just 23.1 percent.
The SMC defense was able to hold Murray State to 40-percent shooting from the field, as the Racers hit 24 of its 60 shots, while the Gaels blew in 50 percent of its shots (24 of 48).
Murray State was led by Darnell Hopkins, who put in a game-high 21 points. Issian Redding added 11 points and a co-game-high eight rebounds, while Shawn Witherspoon had seven rebounds, a game-high three steals and a co-team-high two assists.
Hopkins was named to the all-tournament team, averaging 18.5 points per game in the tourney. Hopkins joined tournament MVP Daniel Hickert, Brett Collins and E.J. Rowland, all of St. Mary's; Chris Oliver of Radford and Fowdi Abdelsamad of UC-Davis on the all-tournament team.
St. Mary's was paced by Kickert's 16 points. Paul Marigney added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Rowland and Collins put in 10 points apiece.
Murray State rings in the new year at Alabama-Birmingham on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Racers then open the Ohio Valley Conference season on Jan. 6 at home against Morehead State.
