Gage Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
After a sloppy start from both teams, juniors Tevin Brown and KJ Williams stole the show on the offensive end and led Murray State men’s basketball to a 72-63 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday, Jan. 23.
Both teams started with an abysmal performance offensively. Five minutes into the game, neither team could find the bottom of the net, as the Racers shot 2-11 and the Golden Eagles shot 1-8.
That was the tale of the first half, as both teams tried to claw their way to offensive efficiency through individual players.
It was graduate student forward Shandon Goldman leading the charge for Tennessee Tech, serving as one of two players to score above five points for the team with 13 points on 4-7 shooting and 3-5 from deep in the first half.
For the Racers it was all Williams and Brown, as the two combined for 18 points heading into the locker room. Williams had seven points, while Brown had 11 points on 3-7 shooting, with all three coming from beyond the arc.
This helped the Racers head into the locker room holding a 33-26 lead while shooting 34% in the half, while the Golden Eagles were right behind with a 33% clip from the field.
In the second half, a switch flipped for the Racers offensively and they were in full command of the game on both ends. Four minutes into the second half Murray State couldn’t miss, hitting five of its first six shots with two coming from three to take a 45-34 lead.
That was the push the Racers needed and it allowed them to control the rest of the game.
Murray State carried its lead in the final three minutes of play, but Tennessee Tech was still trying to find a way back into the game.
With 2:48 to play, Brown drilled a three to take a 67-56 lead and after three missed second chance opportunities on the other end for the Golden Eagles, Brown put the nail in the coffin with a jumper to take a 69-56 lead with two minutes to go.
The Racers never looked back after this short outburst from Brown, walking away with a 72-63 victory thanks to a much more efficient second half.
Brown and Williams continued to lead the charge in the second half, combining for 37 of the team’s 72 points, with 22 and 15, respectively.
Coming into the matchup with Tennessee Tech, Brown was struggling to sink his shots from deep, shooting well below his 42% mark from the 2019-20 season.
Brown went 6-12 from beyond the arc and had himself looking back to normal, but while acknowledging that he does much more than shoot from deep, Head Coach Matt McMahon said his shooting struggles aren’t really something he’s concerned about.
“I really don’t say a whole lot to him about his shooting,” McMahon said. “He’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever been around. I want him to shoot every open shot he gets. I thought his selection was good and I thought guys did a great job screening for him. I thought his teammates were able to get him the ball where he needed it and he stepped up and knocked them down.”
One person who helped create some of those open looks for Brown was freshman guard Dionte Bostick. In Bostick’s first three starts he has assisted on 24 baskets with a total of four turnovers.
While Bostick’s shooting from the floor didn’t match the same impact as his nine assists did, Brown said the young floor general continues to make offense more fluid for them.
“I love the way Dionte plays,” Brown said. “He makes it very easy because he’s a downhill player. He can get to the goal at will and he knows when to kick the ball out when the whole defense collapses on him.”
The Racers have been able to cut down on turnovers as a whole and McMahon said Bostick plays a huge part in that while also being a solid defender.
“I think he’s had great command of the offense,” McMahon said. “I think his decision-making has been very good. He’s a very unselfish player. His ability to get into the paint and draw help has led to some easy scoring opportunities not only from three, but has opened up some post opportunities for KJ”
Brown said the team’s ability to be fully prepared to practice mentally and physically has paid dividends and has shown in their recent games.
“I feel like we’re beginning to be a lot more focused day in and day out from practice to practice,” Brown said. “Instead of coming in some practices not ready, I feel like everyday we’ve been ready to practice.”
Murray State will look to keep up that intensity in practice and make it translate to success over its next two home games. The first of the two-game home stretch will have the 6-7 Racers taking on Tennessee State on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the CFSB Center.
