Gage Johnson
Sports Editor
Murray State men’s basketball came out on the better end of a back-and-forth first half and fought off the Tigers of Tennessee State in the second half to come away with a 76-64 win.
The win moves the Racers to a 15-5 record overall and 8-0 in OVC play, owning the top spot in the conference.
Murray State jumped out ahead early thanks to a trio of Tennessee State turnovers. The Racers took a 9-2 lead, fueled by six points from freshman forward Demond Robinson.
Since the Montgomery, Alabama, native cemented his spot as a starter, Robinson has been a critical player in Murray State’s success.
While Robinson didn’t register a single rebound for the first time since joining the starting lineup, he finished the game with 10 points while adding in a pair of blocks and steals.
Robinson said starting lineup or not, he knows what his job is and will do what it takes to bring the Racers a win.
“I just bring energy,” Robinson said. “I just play hard for the team and the guys because that’s what they expect. Since everybody’s up here playing hard and giving it their all, they expect a freshman to do it and that’s exactly what I’m doing. [I’m] playing my role.”
Moments after Murray State’s 9-2 run, a switch flipped for the Tigers’ and they took off on a run of their own.
Tennessee State went for 12 unanswered points to take a 14-9 lead, with the 10th point being a thunderous dunk at the 12:48 mark by senior forward Emmanuel Egbuta that left an eerie silence amongst Racer fans in the CFSB Center.
The two fought tooth and nail throughout the rest of the first half, exchanging the lead multiple times. It was the Racers that were able to grab the lead with 2:37 left to play in the half and add on to it and carry a 32-29 lead going into the locker room.
Junior forward Devin Gilmore contributed the team’s ability to communicate and keep working towards their goal of overcoming the sudden momentum change in coming back and taking control of the game again.
“We just stayed close as a unit,” Gilmore said. “We didn’t separate. We talked about what was going on and what we were doing wrong together and personally and we just met at a common ground and came together and pulled out the w.”
The Tigers didn’t go down without a fight in the latter half of the game, committing to a fullcourt press in order to make a comeback attempt against the Racers.
The strategy didn’t work, as Murray State continued to hold onto its lead and come away with the win despite Tennessee State hovering around a 10-point deficit for much of the second half.
The Racers ability to not crack under intense pressure from the Tigers’ defense was crucial and McMahon felt that their decision-making was the reasoning for it.
“I thought our guys did a really nice job of handling the pressure and making the right decision,” McMahon said. “When we had three on ones or two on ones we converted those into layups and dunks and if we didn’t have the numbers we pulled the ball out and ran offense to kind of milk the clock down.”
Gilmore had a big hand in defeating Tennessee State’s fullcourt pressure, being on the receiving end of multiple buckets once the Racers had broken the press.
Gilmore finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 100% from the floor with a 6-for-6 shooting night.
Efficiency is nothing new to Gilmore, as he’s shooting 71.4% on the season and he credits his shot selection and understanding of his role to that success.
“I don’t take too many crazy shots,” Gilmore said. “I just stick to what I’m supposed to do. I’ve got a role and I’m fine with playing it.”
“It wasn’t his night Thursday—it was Anthony’s night—but we need everybody,” McMahon said. “That’s what I like about our team. We have good balance [and] we got contributions from a lot of different people. I thought Devin stepped up and played great. He was active, finished plays at the back end of their press, got to the offensive glass [and] was really a big key in us winning the game.”
The Racers outscored Tennessee State 44-35 in the second half and McMahon said it was the team’s precision and flow offensively that allowed them to gain an edge on that side of the floor.
“We had much better ball movement and player movement in the second half [and] I think that’s indicative of the 19 assists on our 25 baskets,” McMahon said. “[You] really like to that unselfishness and ability to execute.”
Redshirt freshman guard DaQuan Smith played a large part in the solid ball movement from the Racers, receiving extended minutes with freshman guard Chico Carter Jr. out with an illness.
Smith finished with 10 points on the night with a trio of threes to go along with eight assists in his 39 minutes of action.
Sophomore guard Teving Brown led all scorers with 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while sophomore forward KJ Williams (12 pts), Robinson (10 pts) and DaQuan Smith (10 pts)all finished in double figures.
McMahon knew the team wouldn’t have an easy night after pulling out a win against the OVC powerhouse that is the Belmont Bruins and is ecstatic to come away with a team he and his players have a lot of respect for.
“It was a great win for us,” McMahon said. “I think Tennessee State has an outstanding team. Coach Collins has done a terrific job building their program.”
Murray State will look to continue its winning ways when the Racers lace their shoes back up and hit the hardwood at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, against Eastern Illinois at the CFSB Center.
