Gage Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
Murray State’s four-game losing streak came to an end on Saturday, marking their first road win of the season thanks to an offensive outburst in the second half against UT Martin.
After turnovers kept the Skyhawks hanging around in the first half, the Racers were able to turn it around and control the game on both ends of the floor for a 79-57 win.
Freshman guard Dionte Bostick made the most of his first career start, getting the first bucket of the game to put Murray State on the board.
The Racers got off to a strong start, jumping out to a 17-11 lead thanks to an early advantage on the boards and some efficient shooting.
However, 10 first half turnovers had the Skyhawks looming around, grabbing 11 points off those turnovers. This allowed them to walk into the locker room trailing just 32-27.
Murray State was led by junior guard Tevin Brown, who tallied 12 points on 4-8 shooting, with all four coming from deep. Meanwhile, junior forward Cameron Holden led UT Martin with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Holden continued to be the mainstay offensively for the Skyhawks in the second half—finishing the night with 20 points and 16 rebounds—but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback against a Racers’ offense that was reeling in the second half.
Murray State came right out of the second half looking to take control of the game, going on a 10-0 run to take a 46-33 lead with 16:50 left to play, while assisting on 10 of their first 11 shots.
UT Martin kept fighting, with a plethora of quick runs attempting to cut their deficit to single digits, but every time the Racers had an answer.
After the Skyhawks cut Murray State’s lead to 59-47, it was all Racers on both ends of the floor. A 10-0 run gave Murray State a 69-47 lead and they never looked back, shooting over 50% from the field for the third time this season to claim a 79-57 victory.
The win marks the Racers’ first road win of the season and their second OVC win on the year after a four-game losing streak.
“It’s a pretty good feeling, especially knowing it’s our first road win,” said junior forward KJ Williams. “We’ve been craving one since the beginning of the season and now that we have one on our shoulders we feel like we are on that track to keep rolling.”
Murray State had extra practice time to prepare for UT Martin after its game against SEMO was postponed due to COVID-19 protocol. Head Coach Matt McMahon said the time much needed to steer the team in the right direction.
“Feels great to win,” McMahon said. “I thought it was a reflection of our last eight days. We really needed that stretch of practice time. I thought our guys have really worked hard and made a lot of strides both offensively and defensively.”
The Racers got contributions from all over on the night, especially after a lineup shakeup with Bostick at the helm of the offense and the bench pouring in 22 points for the Racers.
Bostick finished with 11 points and nine assists on 4-8 shooting, doing exactly what McMahon asks of his point guards—making the surrounding players better through their play.
“I think Dionte really earned that opportunity,” McMahon said. “Just being very honest, in late November, early December, he wasn’t ready yet. But he’s put in the work. He’s one of the first guys in the gym every morning, he’s really picked up what we’re trying to do offensively and defensively, he earned the opportunity and I think he responded really well.”
Sophomore guard Chico Carter Jr. had 10 points off the bench, while Williams (17), Brown (13) and sophomore forward Demond Robinson (10) all finished with double figures as well.
Consistency has been a struggle for McMahon and his squad, but they know that this game is a perfect example of what they are capable of.
“Well I’ve said it all along, we’ve got really good players, we just haven’t been a good team,” McMahon said. “So I hope this is a step in the right direction toward becoming the team and ultimately the best team we’re capable of being.”
As they head into their next matchup with Jacksonville State, McMahon said the key to the Racers maintaining consistency is the turnover battle. They won that battle against UT Martin with a 22-16 turnover ratio, but will need to continue to improve in that area as the season progresses.
“Well overall, I know it’s simple, but I keep coming back to the turnovers,” McMahon said. “If you go through our first shot defense throughout the season, it’s been very good. But when you’re turning the ball over, not only do you not get a chance to score, but it has led to a lot of one-on-zero breakaway dunks and two-on-one layups in transition. So I think that’s something we’ll have to keep working on to get better at.”
Murray State will return to the CFSB Center on Thursday, Jan. 21, when they look to move to 2-4 in OVC play against the Gamecocks of JSU at 7:30 p.m.
