Gage Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
gjohnson17@murraystate.edu
On their last night in front of Racer fans in the CFSB Center, senior forward Anthony Smith and senior guard Jaiveon Eaves made their senior night one they’ll never forget by leading Murray State men’s basketball to its third straight regular season OVC Championship.
In the early stages of the night it seemed like it was going to be a rough night for the Racers as in less than two minutes of play, they had missed multiple layups en route to a 0-for-7 start.
However, Smith used a jab step to create space and then sank a mid-range jumper to start what was a back-and-forth affair throughout the first half.
The two traded runs throughout the half, responding to each and every punch both teams had thrown.
Murray State used a balanced scoring sheet in the first half to get out to a 46.7% clip from the field, while freshman guard Jordyn Adams fueled the Governors offense.
In the first matchup between the two OVC foes Adams went for 20 points, but this time around he nearly eclipsed that total by halftime.
Adams continually made tough shot after tough shot, scoring 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting while making Austin Peay’s three triples in the first half. However, this wasn’t enough to give the Governors the lead going into the locker room, as Murray State held a 36-33 lead.
After a dogfight in the first half, the Racers controlled the second half of play on both ends of the floor.
Austin Peay had cut Murray State’s lead to 39-35 with 17 minutes left to play, but were unable to come within more than six after the Racers used a 6-0 run to take a 45-35 lead.
“We wanted it,” Eaves said. “I mean you could tell just coming out into the second half [and] coming out of the locker room. You could just look at everybody’s face and tell we wanted it.”
Murray State might as well have been throwing a rock into an ocean, as they shot 59.1% from the floor in the second, while holding Adams to nine points in the half and continuing to stifle Taylor’s offense.
The Racers were able to hold Taylor to a season-low nine points on 3-for-10 shooting. Taylor endured some foul trouble and struggled from the charity stripe going 3-for-8, but Head Coach Matt McMahon felt as though their perimeter defense helped keep Taylor from making a huge impact offensively.
“We wanted to mix up some guys, some different coverages [and] some different looks,” McMahon said. “He got into a little foul trouble, which helped us some and he didn’t shoot the free throws as well as he normally does, but I thought our guys just really competed. I thought our ball pressure on the perimeter was good and that limited him from getting some of those incredible shots he makes around the basket every night.”
Holding who McMahon feels is one of the best players in the country in Taylor and the Racers offensive showcase ultimately led to the 75-61 win, and its third straight regular season OVC Championship.
While holding Taylor below double digits for the first time this season, sophomore KJ Williams going for a double-double and five total Racers finished in double figures, the storybook ending for seniors Smith and Eaves shone through the faces amongst the players, coaches and fans.
In a recent press conference Smith said he was eager to get out on the floor for his final home games and against the Governors he made it count.
Smith played a big part in Taylor’s offensive struggles, while going for 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds.
“The great thing was he was able to finish plays around the basket, whether it was layups or he made some great moves in the post,” McMahon said. “They were playing him single coverage and he was able to back in make some nice spin moves [and] finish the plays there. You know you’re always going to get incredible effort from him.”
After sitting out last season after suffering a season-ending ankle injury, Smith worked his way back and started every single game of the regular season. For him, this night was a product of all the hard work he had put in.
“It was an emotional night,” Smith said. “Just coming in last year this time around I was hurt, and I made it a strong emphasis of mine all season to put in a lot of work and it all came through for this time around.”
McMahon praised the energetic forward for his relentless work ethic over the past three years and said that Smith has been one of his favorite players to coach.
“Just happy for him,” McMahon said. “His mom was here, he had family here and you just want it to be a night like this where they get to enjoy it, because Anthony has overcome a lot to put himself in a position like this from an injury standpoint. He’s been one of my favorite guys ever to coach because of the way he brings it every single day.”
Meanwhile, Eaves continued to be the efficient scoring guard he has been all season. Eaves tallied 14 points on 4-for-8 shooting and 4-for-6 shooting from the free throw line against the Governors.
The senior guard’s growth over the past year has been a huge part of the Racers success and that his experience has played a big part in his play this year.
“It’s been a big key for how we’ve gotten better as the season went on [and] it started with the work he put in in the offseason,” McMahon said. “You gotta remember he was our first guard off the bench last year on that really good championship team, so he has experience. He was a Junior College All-American as a sophomore. He’s a really good player.”
Eaves road to shooting 48.2% from the field and averaging 12.7 ppg all started in the offseason, as he lost 25-30 pounds in order to be in the best shape possible for the upcoming season.
“He needed to improve his body,” McMahon said. “He did that through hard work. [He] lived in the practice facility in the offseason. [He] got off to a little bit of a slow start in November [as he] wasn’t very efficient offensively and if you go back and study the numbers, he’s gotten better as the season has gone and that’s why we’ve gotten better as a team.”
Just like Smith, Eaves said it took a lot of work, but that it was all worth it in the end.
“Just grinding,” Eaves said. “Just [being] in the gym putting in work and [now] you see it all pays off.”
While McMahon is clearly proud of the work his players and coaches have put in over the course of the season—which was evident in his postgame joke telling Athletic Director Kevin Saal that they’ll need to squeeze the banners together in the rafters because they have another one to add—he was thrilled that the seniors were able to make a lifelong memory out of their last home game.
“You always want your seniors to have a senior night that they’ll remember and cherish for the rest of their lives, and I’m sure they will definitely enjoy this one,” McMahon said.
Now Murray State looks ahead to the OVC Tournament. With Belmont’s win over TSU the two teams are sharing the regular season title, but the Bruins will hold the No. 1 seed in Evansville, Indiana, because of owning a better record against EIU.
Murray State will hold the No. 2 seed, earning the double-bye. The Racers will prepare for either EIU, Jacksonville State or Austin Peay, when they play in the OVC Semifinals on Friday, March 6 at 9:00 p.m.