Murray State University Athletics
Racers prepare for battle when Colonels march on Murray
1/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Murray State Racers, who defeated Morehead State 83-61 on Thursday night, look to build on that victory with another one against in-state rival Eastern Kentucky, who defeated Tennessee-Martin on Thursday 71-67. Tipoff time is set for 7:15 p.m. tonight at the Regional Special Events Center.
The Racers (6-4, 1-0 OVC) were led by junior forward Shawn Witherspoon against Morehead State, scoring a career-high 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting. The Racers forced 26 turnovers and only committed nine, and also had 28 more shot attempts than Morehead.
The Colonels (9-3, 1-0 OVC) had to fight until the end for their victory against Tennessee-Martin. Junior guard Zach Ingles hit two free throws with seven seconds left on the clock to put the Colonels on top by three points, at 70-67. A Tennessee-Martin turnover and another free throw by Eastern Kentucky sealed the victory for the Colonels.
The Colonels were led by preseason All-OVC First Teamer Matt Witt, who scored a career-high 27 points. The junior guard shot 10-of-18 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from the three-point line, and dished out a co-game-high five assists. Witt also became the 27th player in school history to top 1,000 points in the UTM game, and was the second player to join that list in a week for the Colonels. The other player was senior forward Michael Haney, who had 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting against the Skyhawks. Junior guard Jason McLeish added 10 points, and junior forward Alonzo Hird grabbed 12 rebounds for the Colonels.
On the season, sophomore guard Trey Pearson leads the Racers with 14.1 points per game, while junior guard Darnell Hopkins is second with 11.3 points per game. Witherspoon's 33-point night boosted his scoring average from 6.6 to 9.1 points per game, and junior forward Issian Redding is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.8 points, but he also leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 5.2 rebounds a game. Junior guard Keith Jenifer leads the team in assists with 3.9 per game, but is closely trailed by Pearson, who averages 3.8 a game.
For the Colonels, Witt leads the team in points with 14.5 a game, but also dishes out 6.6 assists a game. Haney is second on the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game, and also pulls down 7.7 rebounds per game. Ingles and McLeish round up the double-digit scorers for the Colonels, averaging 12.1 and 11.3 points a game, respectively. Hird averages 9.1 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, and is the OVC leader in blocked shots, swatting 1.8 shots per game. In two games last season against the Racers, Witt averaged 17.0 points a game.
Both the Murray State players and coaches know that this is a big game in the OVC standings.
"The Morehead State game was a big win. We set a tempo for our team," Witherspoon said. "Eastern Kentucky has played a really tough schedule, and we are going to have to bring the same intensity as we did against Morehead State to have a chance to win."
"I expect us to be thoroughly challenged," Racer head coach Mick Cronin said. "When you are competing for a conference championship, you have to win most if not all of your home games. I've seen Eastern Kentucky play; I was thoroughly impressed. They shoot the ball and make open shots. Matt Witt is a great shooter, and Michael Haney is an unbelievable presence.
"What I am most impressed with is the way they defend. Coach Travis Ford has done the best job in America by taking over a program with two or three wins, and turning them into a legitimate contender."
Murray State leads the all-time series 86-54 and holds a 47-17 advantage at games played in Murray. Murray State swept last year's season series, winning 82-71 and 94-70.
