In a matchup that heavily favored the Racers , senior forward Ed Daniel said the team prepared for the Bethel Wildcats the same way they would prepare for anyone.
“We prepare every game like we’re preparing for a big team,” Daniel said. “No team is different. Anybody can beat you, so we just prepare for everyone as hard as we can.”
The preparation paid off for the Racers Tuesday night as they defeated Bethel 76-54.
Daniel came out firing, scoring the Racers’ first eight points, giving them an 8-2 lead just three and a half minutes into the game.
The senior from Birmingham, Ala., finished the night with a team high 23 points and 14 rebounds, securing his fifth straight double-double.
“Like every other game, I’m just going for rebounds harder than anybody,” Daniel said. “That’s really my main focus … I’m feeling good. I just keep going hard every day.”
The Racers never looked back, holding the Wildcats to 19 points in the first half. Relying heavily on a strong defense, the Racers snatched a season high 13 steals and held Bethel to 28 percent shooting from the field.
With the exception of Jeffery Moss, who sat out the game with an ankle injury, every Racer freshman saw extended minutes throughout the game.
Tyler Rambo led the first years, shooting 4-6 from the field while collecting eight points and three rebounds in 13 minutes. C.J. Ford saw 20 minutes and scored three points to go along with three rebounds and two steals.
The win moves the Racers to 6-1 on the season, with their lone loss coming against Colorado in the championship game of the Charleston Classic.
Murray State now faces a tough portion of
the schedule, however, with their final five non-conference games coming against teams with winning records. Additionally, three of those five games are on the road.
The Racers will continue to take it one day at a time, however, as they prepare for their road game Saturday against the Evansville Aces.
“We’ve got a bunch of road games coming up here, and that’s just the way the schedule falls,” Head Coach Steve Prohm said. “You’re talking about an upper-half Missouri Valley team and they’ve got a brand new arena and it’ll be a great crowd.”
The Racers will then return to the CFSB Center for a rivalry game against Western Kentucky, a team which made the NCAA Tournament last year, before hitting the road again to play Arkansas State and Dayton.
The game Saturday against Evansville begins at 1:05 p.m. and is scheduled to be broadcast on the Racer TV Network.
Story by: Jonathan Ferris, Sports Editor