Sophomore guard Ja Morant and junior forward Darnell Cowart combined for 52 points in an 85-75 win over a hot UT Martin squad Thursday night.
Murray State snapped the Skyhawks’ four-game win streak in order to remain tied for first place in the OVC with Belmont, and improve to 22-4 (13-2) on the year with three games remaining.
Slow start, strong finish
UT Martin was content to slow the Racers down out of the gate, mostly limiting them to the half-court game. That allowed the Skyhawks to control the game’s pace early and jump to an 18-13 game with 10:54 left in the first half.
“I felt like we slacked off and got a little comfortable when we had the little six point lead,” Morant said. “They’re just a very tough team that obviously can score the ball, and they just wouldn’t go away. We just had to come together and try and get stops and go down and get good shots.”
And good shots, they got. Minutes later, Murray State used an 11-2 run to claim momentum into halftime, where they led 36-32.
Cowart and Morant’s impact
Morant and Cowart chemistry has continued to flourish as Cowart has come into his own as of late, and Thursday night was no different. Cowart finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds for another double-double.
“I’ve known Ja for a long time, so we’ve always had chemistry,” Cowart said. “As you keep playing with someone all year, practicing with them everyday, of course you build great chemistry.”
Morant added 30 points and nine assists in 40 minutes of action. He also showed improvement in the turnover column, committing just three on the night.
“With me being the point guard, I think I just need to know what everyone can do,” Morant said. “Where they love to catch the ball, shoot the ball, just really knowing their spots. I really just try to study our team and just try to do whatever I can to put my players in comfortable spots where I know they can score and they know they can score.”
Back to Brion
Murray State turned to a familiar face for a large chunk of minutes. Senior forward Brion Sanchious received 24 minutes of action on the night, replacing sophomore forward Devin Gilmore after he picked up two early fouls. Gilmore recorded just 1:27 on the night.
Sanchious capitalized on his minutes by compiling a stat line of eight points on 4-for-4 shooting, three rebounds and two pivotal blocks. McMahon noted that his deviation to Sanchious over Gilmore wasn’t person; rather, the matchup demanded his senior’s size.
“As I told Devin after the game, there’s nothing he did wrong,” McMahon said. “He got the two fouls, he’s been great for us, and then we brought Brion in and thought Brion played really well. He impacted the game defensively; he had two blocked shots right away. He caught several lobs, was on the offensive glass. I thought it was the most active or energetic he’s played in several weeks. I thought he just warranted being out on the floor.”
What’s next
The Racers will stay home for their second to last home game of the year against Southeast Missouri State that tips-off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the CFSB Center.