Gage Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
Murray State men’s basketball struggled to sink key free throws and couldn’t stop a piping hot Jacksonville State offense, as the Gamecocks grabbed an 85-82 win, marking their first at the CFSB Center since joining the OVC.
The Racers got off to a blazing hot start thanks to a barrage of threes. Junior guard Tevin Brown knocked down a pair to give Murray State an early 6-0 lead, followed up by a pair from junior forward KJ Williams later in the half to take a 17-10 lead.
However, the Gamecocks were able to hold the Racers scoreless for nearly three minutes, allowing them to go on an 8-0 run and cut their deficit to 27-24.
Williams’ marksmanship from beyond the arc continued, as he knocked down two more threes in the half, marking a single-game career high in made threes with four. He ended the half leading the Racers with 13 points.
Meanwhile JSU was in the midst of a 19-6 run that had given the team its second lead of the night at 34-32. Thanks to 52% shooting in the half and 13 points off the bench from junior forward Amanze Ngumezi, the Gamecocks headed into the locker room with a 38-36 lead.
The Gamecocks carried their offensive efficiency into the second half, getting off to a 5-6 start from the field to hold a 48-45 lead over the Racers with 16 minutes to play.
Murray State didn’t have the same success, going cold from deep with a 1-6 start in the second half, giving the Gamecocks the opportunity to take a 56-49 lead with 12:29 left to play.
While the Racers continued to fight, JSU continued to pour it on offensively. They carried this offensive showcase late into the second half, holding a 72-61 lead with 5:30 left to play.
When it seemed like the Gamecocks were going to coast to their first win at Murray State since joining the OVC, the Racers and their full-court pressure had some other ideas.
Trailing 81-71, Murray State clawed its way back in with a blistering 9-0 run started by a three from sophomore guard Justice Hill and two turnovers that led to five straight points for sophomore guard Chico Carter Jr.
Carter Jr. exploded offensively and was a huge catalyst for the Racers’ run, scoring 21 points in the second half alone.
“I thought he was fantastic,” said Head Coach Matt McMahon. “When they went to the zone Dionte made some really nice reads to get him some open threes and he got into a rhythm shooting it from behind the arc. Then I thought he did a nice job of attacking the basket and finishing some plays… He’s really had a good three weeks of practice now and I think it continues to show in his ability to score for us.”
After trading baskets, a quick layup from Carter Jr. had the Racers down 83-81 with 16 seconds to play. A quick steal from senior forward Devin Gilmore led to a JSU foul and the lone senior went to the line with a chance to tie the game.
Gilmore missed one of two at the line, but Murray State still had one more chance to knot things up and force overtime after the Gamecocks sank two free throws to take an 85-82 lead with 11 seconds left.
Carter Jr. went flying down the court and missed a tough layup, but a rebound by Williams led to a fadeaway three from Brown that served as the last hope for the Racers as time expired.
Brown’s shot fell just short—putting him at 4-13 on the night and 3-10 from deep—giving JSU an 85-82 win and handing the Racers their second home loss this season.
Despite its hot start, Murray State went through rough spells on both sides of the floor, which Brown said they have to work on going forward.
“We had a lot of fight at the end of the game, we just have to be more consistent throughout the game as a whole,” Brown said.
Statistically, the Racers did nearly everything they needed to do to win. They won the turnover battle, which has been an achilles heel for the team all season.
However, two glaring stats in the box score were the Gamecocks’ points in the paint, notching 40 points to Murray State’s 32 and its poor free throw shooting.
JSU bigs were able to catch the ball near the charge circle often on the offensive end, allowing for easy buckets inside from players like senior forward Brandon Huffman who had nine of his 16 points in the second half.
“I thought we got lost there defensively in the second half in our frontcourt,” McMahon said. “Not sure why, we just weren’t where we needed to be and Finch was able to break us down off the dribble some at the point guard position. I thought he played really well and he made good decisions that led to some easy baskets for their bigs.”
When a team shoots 56% from the field like JSU did at the CFSB Center, teams have to convert on every opportunity possible. The Racers struggled to do that at the charity stripe, shooting an 11-21 clip, while trying to find an answer to slow the Gamecocks down defensively.
“When you look back at this game I think from our standpoint, offensively the missed free throws were killers and we just weren’t able to slow their offense down,” McMahon said. “We just really struggled no matter what we did. We couldn’t get enough stops there until that late run to get back in the game.”
The loss puts Murray State at 5-7 overall and 2-5 in conference play, marking the team’s worst start in OVC play in McMahon’s six-year tenure.
While success has been the norm for the Racers, McMahon said that the only way to return to their winning ways is to be strong mentally and to continue to get back to work and improve day in and day out.
“For us, we’ve just gotta move on, learn from tonight’s game and find a way to win on Saturday,” McMahon said. “I think if you sit around feeling sorry for yourself, the season will end up being a waste. We play nine games in the next 21 days.”
Murray State will return to the CFSB Center for a second straight game, when they take on Tennessee Tech on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
