Gage Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
After a dominating offensive performance in its season opener, Murray State men’s basketball seemed to have a rim on the basket while Middle Tennessee State University thrived in the second half en route to a 78-61 loss.
The Racers got off to a solid start, trading buckets with the Blue Raiders and even gaining a lead of seven points at 26-19 halfway through the first half.
However, Middle Tennessee bounced back with a 12-0 run, regaining the lead and heading to the locker room up 34-30.
Despite struggling from beyond the arc with 2-11 shooting for Murray State, they managed to shoot nearly 50% from the field with a 14-29 clip.
In the second half, the Racers’ three-point shooting woes continued and the Blue Raiders took advantage.
An early 8-0 run for Middle Tennessee found Murray State trailing 42-30 and while they continued to battle, the Blue Raiders always had an answer.
The Racers made multiple runs at cutting the lead to single digits, but were never able to thanks to an offensive showcase from Middle Tennessee.
Head Coach Matt McMahon said it was the Blue Raiders’ tenacity on defense that allowed their offense to play so efficiently.
“They played with great energy,” McMahon said. “I thought their offense fed off of that pressure that they were able to create defensively, and it just snowballed on us from there.”
Meanwhile, the Murray State offense struggled, shooting 32% on 9-28 shooting to close out the game. Turnovers also played a huge role in the Racers’ struggles at 18 total, with sophomore guards Justice Hill and Chico Carter Jr. combining for 10 of those with three and seven, respectively.
“I think when our point guards were aggressive and really attacked the pressure and drove it downhill, we were able to get it into the paint,” McMahon said. “We finished some and unfortunately we did not finish some of those, but I thought there was other possessions where we were just very tentative with the ball out front and made some lazy passes that led to easy transition opportunities for Middle.”
The first road loss of the season moves the Racers to 1-1 as they prepare for a newly scheduled home game against Illinois State University.
McMahon said he was disappointed in the job that he did as a coach and that they will get back to work immediately to prepare for their next game, as this one game won’t define their season.
Murray State will return to the CFSB Center looking to bounce back against the Redbirds at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.
