Saturday, January 10
Morehead, Ky.
3:15 p.m.
Jacksonville State University
61
at
76
Morehead State
Morehead State Pulls Away For 76-61 OVC Win Over Gamecocks
1/10/2009 5:38:03 PM | Men's Basketball
FINAL STATS
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State put together an early second-half run that the Jacksonville State men's basketball team couldn't overcome on Saturday afternoon, when the Gamecocks fell, 76-61, in Ohio Valley Conference action at Ellis T. Johnson Arena.
The Eagles (8-9, 5-1 OVC) used an 11-3 run early in the second half to build a double-digit lead they wouldn't relinquish against the Gamecocks (8-6, 2-3 OVC), who dropped their second-straight game while falling victim in MSU's fifth win in its last six games.
“I think the biggest thing to me during that stretch (early in the second half) was that our toughness showed again,' JSU head coach James Green said. “They attacked the basket and pounded it inside early in the game, and we went to a zone to try and keep the ball out of the post. We were able to do some things defensively and were able to rebounds the ball well in the first half. In the second half, they attacked the basket and went hard inside against our zone.”
Freshman Geddes Robinson and sophomore Nick Murphy, the Gamecocks' two Bronx, N.Y., natives, were the lone JSU players in double figures in the points column in the loss. Robinson, 6-foot-5 forward, went 8-for-12 from the field and 7-for-10 from the free throw line to lead all scorers with 23 points, just one shy of his career high. Murphy, a 6-foot-4 forward, scored 11 points, thanks to a 7-of-9 effort from the charity stripe and despite a 2-of-9 showing from the field.
The Eagles had four players in double figures to remain in a tie with Austin Peay atop the OVC standings. Demonte Harper led the way with 21 points, while Robert Murry and Leon Buchanan added 17 and 16 points, respectively. They were sound from the free throw line, where they went 17-for-20 in the game, including a stretch that saw them connect on their first 14 of the second half.
The Gamecocks outrebounded the Eagles, 22-15, in the first half, but held just a 31-30 advantage on the glass at the end of the game against a team that entered the game outrebounding their opponents by an average of 6.4 rebounds per game.
Senior Jonathan Toles recorded seven assists for JSU, while senior DeAndre Bray, the OVC leader in assists, failed to record one for the first time since Jan. 6, 2007. Brandon Shingles led the Eagles with six of their 15 assists.
The Gamecocks were stone cold from the floor to start the game and watched Morehead State jump out to a 12-point lead in the first eight minutes of the opening half. The Eagles led by 12 again at 19-7, but JSU answered with a 22-5 run to lead 29-24 with 1:40 to play before the half. The two exchanged buckets before a Demonte Harper trey from about 26 feet away cut the Gamecocks lead to 31-29 going into the locker room.
The Gamecocks used an adjustment to a zone defense and a 22-15 advantage on the glass to take the lead into the intermission. Robinson led all scorers with 10 points in just seven first-half minutes, while Amadou Mbodji pulled in four boards in just six minutes off of the bench.
The Eagles used an early 7-0 run to build a 38-33 lead with 15:56 to play, only to watch JSU cut it to 38-37 just over two minutes later. MSU would build a 13-point lead at 58-45 with 7:15 to play. The Gamecocks would never be able to cut the deficit to fewer than nine points before Morehead put the game away in the final few minutes.
The Gamecocks will return home next for two games next week, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. CT game with Murray State on Thursday. They will wrap up the week on Saturday at 4 p.m. against UT Martin. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the JSU Ticket Office at 1-877-JSU-TIXX or on game day at the Pete Mathews Coliseum Ticket Window.
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State put together an early second-half run that the Jacksonville State men's basketball team couldn't overcome on Saturday afternoon, when the Gamecocks fell, 76-61, in Ohio Valley Conference action at Ellis T. Johnson Arena.
The Eagles (8-9, 5-1 OVC) used an 11-3 run early in the second half to build a double-digit lead they wouldn't relinquish against the Gamecocks (8-6, 2-3 OVC), who dropped their second-straight game while falling victim in MSU's fifth win in its last six games.
“I think the biggest thing to me during that stretch (early in the second half) was that our toughness showed again,' JSU head coach James Green said. “They attacked the basket and pounded it inside early in the game, and we went to a zone to try and keep the ball out of the post. We were able to do some things defensively and were able to rebounds the ball well in the first half. In the second half, they attacked the basket and went hard inside against our zone.”
Freshman Geddes Robinson and sophomore Nick Murphy, the Gamecocks' two Bronx, N.Y., natives, were the lone JSU players in double figures in the points column in the loss. Robinson, 6-foot-5 forward, went 8-for-12 from the field and 7-for-10 from the free throw line to lead all scorers with 23 points, just one shy of his career high. Murphy, a 6-foot-4 forward, scored 11 points, thanks to a 7-of-9 effort from the charity stripe and despite a 2-of-9 showing from the field.
The Eagles had four players in double figures to remain in a tie with Austin Peay atop the OVC standings. Demonte Harper led the way with 21 points, while Robert Murry and Leon Buchanan added 17 and 16 points, respectively. They were sound from the free throw line, where they went 17-for-20 in the game, including a stretch that saw them connect on their first 14 of the second half.
The Gamecocks outrebounded the Eagles, 22-15, in the first half, but held just a 31-30 advantage on the glass at the end of the game against a team that entered the game outrebounding their opponents by an average of 6.4 rebounds per game.
Senior Jonathan Toles recorded seven assists for JSU, while senior DeAndre Bray, the OVC leader in assists, failed to record one for the first time since Jan. 6, 2007. Brandon Shingles led the Eagles with six of their 15 assists.
The Gamecocks were stone cold from the floor to start the game and watched Morehead State jump out to a 12-point lead in the first eight minutes of the opening half. The Eagles led by 12 again at 19-7, but JSU answered with a 22-5 run to lead 29-24 with 1:40 to play before the half. The two exchanged buckets before a Demonte Harper trey from about 26 feet away cut the Gamecocks lead to 31-29 going into the locker room.
The Gamecocks used an adjustment to a zone defense and a 22-15 advantage on the glass to take the lead into the intermission. Robinson led all scorers with 10 points in just seven first-half minutes, while Amadou Mbodji pulled in four boards in just six minutes off of the bench.
The Eagles used an early 7-0 run to build a 38-33 lead with 15:56 to play, only to watch JSU cut it to 38-37 just over two minutes later. MSU would build a 13-point lead at 58-45 with 7:15 to play. The Gamecocks would never be able to cut the deficit to fewer than nine points before Morehead put the game away in the final few minutes.
The Gamecocks will return home next for two games next week, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. CT game with Murray State on Thursday. They will wrap up the week on Saturday at 4 p.m. against UT Martin. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the JSU Ticket Office at 1-877-JSU-TIXX or on game day at the Pete Mathews Coliseum Ticket Window.
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