Murray State
Eastern Illinois
Racers outlast EIU 72-66, will host SEMO in OVC first round
2/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Keith Jenifer scored a team-high 19 points and handed out a game-high four assists, while Murray State's top scorer, Trey Pearson, was held scoreless but handed out three assists in the Racers' 72-66 win at Eastern Illinois tonight.
The game was the final regular-season contest for both teams, which now prepare for the O'Reilly's Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament.
Murray State (17-10, 11-5 OVC), the No. 3 seed, will host No. 6 Southeast Missouri State (14-13, 9-7 OVC) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eastern Illinois (12-15, 7-9 OVC), the No. 8 seed, will travel to top seed Tennessee Tech (17-10, 12-4 OVC) on Tuesday.
In tonight's game, the Panthers got out to a 12-5 lead before the Racers brought it back, going on a 12-0 run to take a 17-12 lead midway through the first half. MSU took a 35-30 lead at the half.
After taking that run, Murray State never again ceded the lead, but Eastern Illinois made things interesting, pulling to within a point, 65-64, with 3:30 left.
A free throw by Jenifer, another by Pearson Griffith and a jumper by Jenifer put MSU ahead 69-64 with 1:51 left, but a jumpshot by EIU's Emanual Dildy cut the Racer lead to 69-66 with 1:51 remaining, but Murray State was able to keep the Panthers at arm's length.
Jenifer had 19 points for MSU, shooting 7-for-11 from the field, 7-for-9 inside the arc. Griffith added 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting to go with a game-high five steals and three blocked shots, while Justin Orr put in 11 points.
Eastern Illinois was paced by Josh Gomes' 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Gomes also had a team-high three assists. Bobby Catchings added 11 points, while Andy Gobczynski had a team-high five rebounds to go with three assists.
"We have learned how to play with pride, and that's a big factor," said MSU head coach Mick Cronin. "We were also holding out for hope of a regular-season co-championship, but we know the goal is to win the OVC Tournament.
"Obviously, we had a good effort from Jenifer and Griffith. They changed the game early. When we had a chance to get down, they changed the game in the second half.
"We really needed somebody to slow down Josh Gomes," Cronin said. "He had, like, six or seven straight layups. Keith Jenifer guarded Dildy all night. We had to hold one of those guys, and it worked to our advantage to hold Dildy down."
Murray State hosts Southeast Missouri State in the O'Reilly's OVC Championship Tournament on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Regional Special Events Center. The winner advances to the OVC's "Final Four" at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday and Saturday.
