Murray State
Tennessee State
Free throws make the difference in Racers' loss at Tennessee State
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sophomore guard Trey Pearson went 4-for-4 from three-point range and made all five of his free-throw attempts, but Tennessee State sank 20 free throws in the game to MSU's eight en route to the Racers' 74-68 Ohio Valley Conference loss.
Pearson led the Racers with 19 points and a game-high seven assists.
Except for six ties, Murray State maintained the lead throughout the first half, taking as much as a six-point lead twice, the latest coming when Pearson hit a jumpshot with 5:05 left in the first period to give the Racers (14-10, 9-5 OVC) a 35-29 lead. MSU had a 37-35 lead at the half.
Tennessee State (12-15, 7-6 OVC) mirrored the Racers' feat in the second half, holding the lead throughout the half with the exception of three ties.
A layup by Darnell Hopkins tied the game at 46-46 with 12:42 remaining, but the Tigers went on a 9-0 run from that point to keep the Racers at arm's length.
Pearson Griffith put in 14 points for Murray State to go with a game-high nine rebounds, while Hopkins added 10 points and three assists. Keith Jenifer handed out five assists for MSU.
Tennessee State was paced by Eric King's 27 points and eight rebounds to go with four assists. Bruce Price added 23 points, four assists and three steals, while Rod Flowers put in 14 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. Wayne Arnold had a team-high six assists for TSU.
Murray State will play at Rice on Saturday in the ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday at 4 p.m. That game can be seen locally on WQWQ (UPN) and on CSS.
