Murray State University Athletics
Racers hope to keep place in the standings at TSU
2/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Murray State Racers, who are now in sole possession of second place in the the Ohio Valley Conference, look to gain ground on first-place Samford on Thursday, when they travel to Nashville, Tenn., to face the Tennessee State Tigers. These two teams have already met once this season, a Murray State 82-74 win on Jan. 22 in Murray.
In that Jan. 22 game, Keith Jenifer had a career-high 17 points, and Trey Pearson also chipped in 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the three-point line. Charles Johnson and Darnell Hopkins both had 12 points for the Racers, who shot 50.0 percent from the floor (28-for-56). For the Tigers, Kareem Grant had 17 points, Bruce Price had 14 points and Eric King scored 12 points off the bench in a losing effort.
Racer head coach Mick Cronin knows that this game should be a tough test for his young Racers.
"Tennessee State is undefeated at home in the conference, and I expect a battle," Cronin said. "They can shoot the ball, and when they make shots around the perimeter they're tough. They are also very athletic, and we can't let them get offensive rebounds. We can't let them attack the rim like they did last time."
"Tennessee State is a very good team," Pearson said. "They have lots of offensive weapons, but we have to come out and play hard and stick together."
The Racers (14-9, 9-4 OVC) are coming off an 80-56 win over Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday. Pearson led the Racer attack with 21 points, while Shane Dansby and Pearson Griffith set new career-highs in points with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Darnell Hopkins also had 10 points for the Racers, who made their second comeback in the second half in as many games, outscoring Tennessee-Martin 51-27 in the second half.
The Tigers (11-15, 6-6 OVC) are coming off an 85-68 loss to Southeast Missouri on Saturday. Price had 18 points, Rod Flowers had 16 points, King had 15 points and Roshaun Bowens had 10 points in a losing effort.
"We have to come out and play every game hard and with emotion," Griffith said. "We can't expect teams to roll over for us just because we're Murray State. We need more emotion, like guys diving on the floor for loose balls."
"We are down one with three to play," Cronin said. "We have to have that mindset. Our guys need to be thinking that when they come into the gym, the locker room, their dorm, on every defensive stance. If they want to play like all the other teams on the walls around here, we have to find a way to win."
Tipoff time at the Gentry Complex is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Racers lead the all-time series 34-11, and hold a 14-5 advantage in games played in Nashville.
