Murray State
Tennessee Tech
MSU Over TTU 88-66 - Still Undefeated In OVC
1/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Murray State Racers defeated the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 88-66 Saturday at the Regional Special Events Center in Murray, Ky., and improved their home winning streak to 13.
The Racers (16-3) pushed their winning streak to seven and moved their first place Ohio Valley Conference mark to 8-0.
The win was MSU's 99th in league play in the RSEC.
An early 10-0 run gave the Racers a 19-10 lead at the 9:57 mark of the first half.
MSU ended the half with a 48-31 lead when Isaiah Canaan hit a buzzer-beating drive down the lane.
After Tech cut the lead to 10 with 13:03 remaining, Donte Poole came off the Racer bench and gave his team a big lift.
MSU put together a 13-1 run that saw Poole score 10 points as the Racers built their lead to 70-48 with 8:25 left.
TTU cut the lead to 13 with 3:49 remaining, but the Racers upped the lead again for the 88-66 final.
"We challenged them in practice yesterday and they responded," MSU head coach Billy Kennedy said. "I think we really defended very well in the first half, Muhammad and Murphy hurt us, but we did a good job on Davis."
The Racers placed five in double-figures led by Ivan Aska with 16 to go with nine rebounds.
Poole ended the game with 13, while Tony Easley and Isacc Miles each had 12 and Isaiah Canaan had 10.
"We have 12 guys that can play and I am not afraid to play them," Kennedy said. "Ten of them play most nights, I am thankful to have the 12, our bench has been a key for us all season."
Tech was led by Elijah Muhammad and Kevin Murphy who had 22 and 20 points, but the Racers held down three-point threat Frank Davis who failed to hit one and finished with seven points.
The Racers seem to have everything where they want it at the present time, but Kennedy knows for all the success they've earned up to this point, they have to continue to earn wins with work ethic.
"That's the key, you can't let complacency set in," Kennedy said. "We have to stay together and not believe all the hype. We've got 10 games left in OVC play and now it's all about how you finish."
GAME NOTES
Tonight's attendance of 4,837, the largest of the season at the RSEC.
The Racers are now 140-25 (.848) all-time in the RSEC in their 12th season in the building and 99-15 (.868) against OVC opponents. MSU is 20-2 in the last two seasons and 12-2 against Tech.
MSU's home winning streak is 13. The longest in the building for MSU came in the first 17 games starting in 1998 and ending in 2000.
The Racers started the night in a league of their own in NCAA D-I. MSU was the only team in the nation leading their conference in both scoring (79.2) and scoring defense (61.5). There were three teams very close to joining MSU: Saint Mary's (West Coast), Wichita State (Missouri Valley) and Prairie View A&M (Southwest Athletic).
MSU now has a multiple-game win streak against every OVC opponent with the exception of Austin Peay where the Racers won only the last meeting with the Govs. Here are the current MSU win streaks: Jacksonville State (12), Southeast Missouri (5), Eastern Illinois (4), Tennessee State (4), Eastern Kentucky (3), UT Martin (2), Morehead State (2) and Tennessee Tech (2).
Canaan's 17-game streak of making a three-point basket ended when he was 0-of-4 against Tech.
Tony Easley's streak of games with a blocked shot is now at 18.
With the Racers' three-game home stand now over, they prepare to hit the road for two games next week. Thursday Jan. 21, the Racers play Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Ill., and Saturday Jan. 23, they meet Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The Racers have won three of their last six games at Lantz Arena at EIU, and six straight at the Show Me Center since their last loss in 2003.
MSU returns to the RSEC Wednesday Jan. 30 in a 7 p.m. game with SIU Edwardsville. The Racers defeated the Cougars Dec. 30 in Edwardsville, Ill., 82-51.
Now is the time to get your tickets to the 2010 OVC Tournament at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn., Mar. 5-6. Fans may purchase tickets from the Sommet Center (615-770-2040) or Ticketmaster (615-255-9600). Fans may also call the Murray State ticket office (270-809-3000). Ticketmaster.com and GoRacers.com are the places to go to purchase tickets online.
