Sports Editor
Gage Johnson
Despite holding the lead for the vast majority of the game, the Murray State men’s basketball team’s offensive woes in the second half led to an 82-63 loss to the University of Tennessee.
It was a back-and-forth affair for the first 11 minutes of the game. However, after the Volunteers tied things up at 18, the Racers went on an 8-0 run kickstarted by a three from sophomore forward KJ Williams.
A layup from senior forward Anthony Smith with 33 seconds left in the first half gave the Racers their largest lead of the night at 44-33. Thanks to a pair of free throws from freshman forward Olivier Nkamhoua, Tennessee was able to cut the Racers’ lead to nine, giving Murray State a 44-35 lead going into the locker room.
The Racers were unconscious on the offensive end in the first half, shooting 50% from the field. Sophomore guard Tevin Brown (4-for-5) and senior guard Jaiveon Eaves (2-for-4) and Williams (2-for-3) also helped Murray State go 8-for-14 from beyond the arc.
Murray State carried its lead into the second half, leading by as much as 11. Nonetheless, the Volunteers weren’t going away.
After the Racers claimed a 51-43 lead, Tennessee went on a 7-0 run and cut their lead to one. Then with 10:36 left to play, senior guard Jordan Bowden hit his fourth three of the night to give the Volunteers their first lead since 2-0.
Bowden made it rain from deep in the second half, going 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. Add that to 4-for-5 free-throw shooting and an overall 8-for-15 shooting performance, Bowden led all scorers with 26.
While Bowden clearly excels at shooting the three at a high rate, it was his work away from the ball and his approach on the offensive end that McMahon thinks makes Bowden so tough to guard.
“Most people would probably point to the shooting, but I think [it’s] his ability to move without the basketball,” McMahon said. “He does a nice job of reading screens and if you get caught trying to cheat one, he makes you pay. At his size with his length, he’s able to raise up and knock down shots. He hit some big ones, especially in the second half.”
Tennessee began to run away with things in the last seven minutes of play. The Racers’ offense had become non-existent and the Volunteers took advantage, ending the game on a 16-0 run.
The Racers’ first half 22-10 rebound advantage had completely vanished during the second half, as the Volunteers outrebounded them 25-12. Add 12-for-22 shooting from three to that and Tennessee had more than enough to come away with a 82-63 victory over Murray State to extend its home winning streak to 28 games.
While the Volunteers were extremely efficient offensively, McMahon didn’t think poor defense was the reason for their high shooting percentages.
“In the first half I thought we were late on a few close-outs to [Yves] Pons,” McMahon said. “In the second half we weren’t scoring and they were able to get out in transition. I really have to give a lot of credit to Tennessee. I thought they hit a lot of shots that were contested from beyond the arc.”
Murray State men’s basketball will now return home, as they are set to take on Brescia University at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the CFSB Center.
