Story by Blake Sandlin
Sports Editor
bsandlin1@murraystate.edu
A record-breaking, sell-out crowd of 8,969 spectators packed the CFSB Center Thursday night for the OVC’s premier rivalry, but ultimately left disappointed.
Belmont’s men’s basketball team tied what was previously an 8-7 all-time series lead by the Racers over the Bruins by cementing a dominant 79-66 win.
Entrenched in unbelievable hype, the rematch of last year’s OVC Championship had all the makings of an instant classic initially. A packed house. A 40-man troop of NBA scouts. An all-star call with ESPN’s Seth Greenberg and Tom Hart on the mic.
All that changed a minute and a half into the game.
Sophomore guard Ja Morant landed awkwardly on a rebound attempt and laid still on the ground, as hushed silence echoed through the crowded arena. Minutes later, Morant was helped to his feet, and strolled slowly to the Racer bench on his own with the Racers leading 6-2.
Though Morant’s injury didn’t prove as devastating as the crowd previously thought – as he would enter the game three minutes later – the complexion of the game completely changed. Senior guard Shaq Buchanan agreed that the injury was deflating to the Racers, as they allowed a 9-0 run before Morant returned with 15:29 in the first half.
Morant’s return did little to remedy the Bruins’ hot streak. They capped off 16 unanswered points before Murray State freshman guard Tevin Brown finally responded with a 3-pointer to snap an 0-for-16 3-point drought over the past three games.
Neither team was able to establish a rhythm, but Belmont did find consistency through its freshman center Nick Muszynski, who had a 12-point first half to guide his team to a 33-26 lead at the half. The Racers finished the first half shooting 25 percent from the field.
Even more astonishingly, Murray State finished that half with just four points in the paint, with the only other field goals coming off of six made threes.
“We really were blessed,” said Head Coach Matt McMahon. “We played as poor as we could play in the first half, and we came in and were only down seven. You’re right there, and you’ve still got an opportunity because we were able to defend the 3-point arc in the first half.”
Murray State would have its chances in the second half, but for every punch it threw, Belmont would throw back tenfold. The Racers trimmed the Bruin lead to as little as four multiple times Thursday night, but Murray State’s inability to string together critical stops and capitalize at the free-throw line was its undoing.
The team shot just 64 percent on 18-for-28 shooting from the charity stripe, far different from its 87.1 percent just a game before. Apart from the free throws the Racers weren’t much better, shooting just 40 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3-point range.
Morant struggled to establish himself after exiting the game early on. Perhaps hindered after his ankle injury, the sophomore guard struggled to impress the 32 NBA scouts in attendance by scoring 20 points on 5-for-19 shooting, and added nine assists.
“I thought offensively we just struggled to finish plays. I thought we got to the rim some; we were 6-for-22 on layups, which is a good number to get there, but we came into the game like seventh or eighth in the country in two-point percentage, and we really had a hard time finishing plays at the basket.”
Offensive struggles trickled down to the defensive end, with the Racers conceding 18-for-28 shooting to the Bruins (64.3 percent) and 6-for-8 3-point shooting (75 percent).
The driver behind that marksmanship? Senior guard Kevin McClain, who built on a seven-point first half by dropping 16 in the second to end with a game-high 23 points to lead his Bruins to a convincing 79-66 win.
McClain and his cohort Muszynski combined for 43 of Belmont’s 79 points on the night, easily masking senior forward Dylan Windler’s struggles that held him to just five points. McMahon said the Racers had no answer for Muszynski’s touch, as well as his passing ability on six assists.
“I think the big fella down there, he can score with either hand,” McMahon said. “He’s great at creating angles. He really was able to wedge us inside and get a lot of layups and finish plays. He’s a tough cover because as the season’s gone on he’s gotten really improved as a passer when you go down and double.”
One of few bright spots for Murray State Thursday night was the second-half showing from junior forward Darnell Cowart. After going 0-for-5 up until the 12:52 mark of the second half, Cowart fueled his offense by attacking the offensive glass. He ended the night with 14 points and 13 rebounds (five offensive).
“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Cowart said. “Coach just kept putting faith in me to keep going and keep being aggressive, don’t put your head down, so I was just kept doing that. Luckily, in the second half, shots just started falling.”
Belmont’s win was significant for several reasons. It signaled the first OVC loss for the Racers, the last undefeated team in OVC play. It also snapped Murray State’s 18-game home winning streak. Lastly, it marked Belmont Head Coach Rick Byrd’s 700th career win.
Murray State will now try and shake off its first conference loss by following up with Tennessee State at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, at the CFSB Center.