Story by Blake Sandlin, Assistant Sports Editor
It wasn’t pretty, but Murray State’s men’s basketball team got it done against Tennessee Tech on senior night.
The Racers overcame a season-high 20 turnovers to defeat the Golden Eagles 75-65. In what was the last home game of senior guard Jonathan Stark and senior forward Terrell Miller career, Murray State opened the game up with a 15-2 thanks to an 8-0 start by Stark.
However the Racers got careless with the ball, and coughed it up 13 times in the first half, two more than their average per game. Stark’s hot shooting start helped to combat the Racers’ ball handling woes, helping Murray State enter halftime with a 38-27 edge.
Halftime of Saturday’s game quite possibly overshadowed the game itself. Murray State Athletic Director Allen Ward brought former Racer guard Isaiah Canaan to center-court following the recognition of 2018 Hall of Fame class and surprised the entire arena.
Ward showered Canaan praise for his illustrious Racer career, then surprised Canaan by announcing that the Murray State basketball program would be retiring Canaan’s No. 3 jersey forever. Canaan was moved to tears as he addressed the crowd and the subsequent highlight video recognizing his storied career.
After the moving halftime tribute, Murray State got back to business. They did a better job of quelling their turnover woes in the second half, recording only seven turnovers. Despite a chippy second half which included several technicals and intentional fouls called, the Racers managed to defeat the Golden Eagles 75-65.
“I’m thrilled with the win,” Head Coach Matt McMahon said. “It was ugly at times offensively and we’ve got a lot to clean up there, but I think Tennessee Tech had a lot to do with that. The defensive effort was really good. We were able to hold their percentages low and force them into some turnovers as well.”
Stark made sure to leave the home crowd with a fond memory on his senior night, scoring 30 points and dishing out five assists. Stark had his second 30-point performance of the week and his last in the CFSB Center, but he said the reality of his final game hasn’t registered yet.
“I tried to stay focused but it kind of hit me a little bit right when they called my name for the starting lineup and I looked up and the crowd was going crazy and it kind of hit me. Like this is going to be the last feeling of it being like this, so I tried to stay focused and that’s what I did.”
Freshman guard Ja Morant had a complete game with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Miller tallied a 10-point performance in his final game in the CFSB Center.
Saturday’s win propelled the Racers to their ninth-straight win and improved their record to 22-5 (14-2). Their victory helped them clinch a double-bye in the OVC tournament.
The Racers will spend the remaining week of their regular season schedule on the road. They’ll tip-off against Eastern Illinois at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22 in Charleston, Illinois.
