OVC Tournament Coverage: Racers sneak past Eastern Illinois in men's semi
Allan Lewis
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Sports
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In a game which featured 10 lead changes and 13 ties, it was the Racers scoring 12 of the final 20 points to earn a spot in the OVC finals with their 55-51 win.
"Our guys find a way to win," Murray State Head Coach Billy Kennedy said. "We didn't want to lose and we played like that in the first half, instead of playing to win. Eastern Illinois' game plan was good. They were ready."
Although Murray State came into the game with just one loss in OVC play, their only road to the NCAA tournament is likely through the conference's automatic bid given to its tournament champion.
Eastern Illinois finished the season at 19-12.
Murray State was able to feed off of their rebounding throughout the contest, beating the Panthers 43-32 on the glass. The job they did on the offensive glass went towards 21 second-chance points off 23 offensive rebounds.
MSU Senior Tony Easley had two key blocks late in the contest, including one on Ousmane Cisse with seven seconds to play, and EIU down three.
"I was just stepping up and doing my job," Easley said.
Murray State shot just 25 percent from the field in the first half, and was 2-9 from three-point range. Nerves were not something MSU junior B.J. Jenkins attributed to his team's slow start.
"Our team wasn't nervous, we just came out a little sloppy," Jenkins said. "We were determined not to lose and had each other's back."
Both teams shot an equal 11-27 for 40.7 percent in the second half.
Easley was the only player on either team scoring in double-figures with 14. Issac Miles and Jenkins each posted nine.
EIU's scoring was balanced, between nine point performances by Cisse and Shaun Pratl, with Tyler Laser and Jeremy Granger scoring eight. Six of Laser's points came in the second half.
EIU Head Coach Mike Miller said despite the loss, his team put forth a valiant effort against the league's top team.
"It was a great effort against an outstanding team," Miller said. "They took us to the limits and we felt like we were in a position where we challenged them."
Murray State will play Morehead State University Saturday at 7 p.m.
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