Story by Blake Sandlin, Assistant Sports Editor
Murray State basketball’s bracket-busting attempt against 5-seed West Virginia was to no avail, with the Racers falling 85-68 in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in San Diego, California.
In the end, the Racers’ turnovers and inability to score inside were their undoing. They committed 16 turnovers to the Mountaineers’ eight, allowing West Virginia to advance to the round of 32 against Marshall University and sending Murray State home early.
West Virginia opened the game with a vengeance, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. After eight minutes of play, the Racers began to find their footing and overtook the lead 9-8. However the lead didn’t last long.
The Mountaineers’ renowned press began to stifle Murray State’s offense. They extended the lead by as much as 10 points in the succeeding minutes, but senior forward Terrell Miller provided an invaluable surge late in the first half when he converted a huge three with 1:29 remaining in the first to cut the lead to five.
Just when the Racers thought they’d have a manageable game heading into the half, junior forward Esa Ahmad hit two layups and senior guard Jevon Carter nailed a jumper to help his Mountaineers enter the halftime locker room with a promising nine-point lead.
Murray State, who averages 11.9 turnovers per game, had 11 turnovers at the half. Miller ended his first half with an impressive double-double stat line. In 20 minutes of play, he tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Facing its third-largest halftime deficit of the season, Murray State had history on its side. In two games against Jacksonville State and Austin Peay where the Racers faced 17 and 14-point deficits, respectively, the Racers have gone on to outscore their opponent in the second half.
However, West Virginia had other plans. Every time the Racers attempted to trim the deficit, the Carter-led Mountaineers struck back even harder. Murray State’s closest attempt to mounting a comeback came when junior guard Shaq Buchanan converted a layup with 14:41 remaining in the second half to cut it to five, but the Mountaineers responded once more.
West Virginia strung together a 9-1 run in the next three minutes to improve its lead even more – this time for good. Ultimately, it was West Virginia’s smothering defense that led to Murray State’s undoing. The Mountaineers managed to score 18 points off of the Racers’ 16 turnovers. Carter himself finished with six steals to lead the defensive charge.
Murray State Head Coach commended the performance by the Mountaineers, while expressing his pride for the Racers’ effort.
“I would say credit to West Virginia,” McMahon said. “They’ve got an excellent team. They were everything we thought they would be. Wish them the best moving forward. But I’m really proud of our team. It’s been a special year for us. These two seniors up here with me, Terrell Miller and Jonathan Stark can’t say enough good things about them and what they’ve done for Murray State in Murray, Kentucky. Our team has been a blast to coach and it’s been one of the great privileges for me to be a part of this special group. I’m thankful for that opportunity.”
The Mountaineers had their will against the Racers, maximizing on their size advantage to score 48 points in the paint, compared to just 26 from Murray State. The team’s three primary big men – sophomore forward Jalen Dupree, junior forward Anthony Smith, and junior forward Brion Sanchious – combined for just two points in the loss.
Possibly even more astounding was West Virginia’s defensive effort on senior guard Jonathan Stark. Stark, who averages 21.8 PPG, tied his season-low with just nine points on 1-for-12 shooting and 1-for-10 from three.
One bright spot for Murray State was Miller. In his final game in a Racer uniform, Miller shined on the big stage, recording 27 points on 8-for-11 shooting while pulling down 17 rebounds. His 15th point early in the second half propelled him into the Murray State 1,000-point club.
“Thanks to my teammates,” Miller said after the game. “They did a good job getting me the ball and they got me the ball in spots where they knew I could hit shots, and our guards did a great job of finding me on time and giving me the threes that I knew I could knock down. We work on that all year and it showed tonight.”
West Virginia Head Coach Bob Huggins complimented Miller’s effort in Friday’s game.
“Miller we kept telling our guys for whatever it’s been, three or four days that he can shoot and that’s what he does,” Huggins said. “He’s a 40% three-point shooter and for some reason they didn’t believe us. He had a great game. He had a great game. Shot the ball extremely well. Rebounded the ball extremely well, had 17 rebounds.”
Stark and Miller both end their careers as members of the Murray State 1,000-point club. McMahon commended his seniors for their competitive nature and leadership in their two years with the program.
“It’s emotional in there because those two guys, you know, all you hear on TV is about all the crooks and the cheating and stuff in college basketball right now,” McMahon said. “Those two guys are what college basketball is all about. Jonathan Stark is what college basketball is all about. Jevon Carter from West Virginia, that’s what college basketball is all about. So I’m so proud of Terrell and Jonathan for what they’ve been able to do, to basically start our program over from scratch and to rebuild our roster in short order and it’s because of those two guys, the work they’ve put in.”
With the loss, Murray State ends its monumental season at 26-6, snapping their 13-game winning streak. Gonzaga now remains in firm control with the nation’s longest streak at 15 games.