University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Eagles Fall To Murray State, Now 2-1
11/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Final Game Statistics
Eagles Fall To Murray State, Now 2-1
MURRAY, Ky. - Following a pair of victories home victories to open the 2003-04 season, Southern Miss found going on the road a little tougher, and the result was a 94-54 Saturday afternoon loss at Murray State. The loss was the first in three games for the Golden Eagles, while the Racers remain unbeaten at 4-0.
An early Murray State press didn't present Head Coach James Green's team many problems, but the Racers' hot shooting and the Golden Eagles cold shooting was the major difference as the home-standing Racers pulled away late in the half and enjoyed a 36-23 lead at intermission. The Eagles trailed by just three points, 17-14, midway through the first 20 minutes, and by only four points, 24-20, with just over five minutes remaining. However, a quick 12-3 Murray run pushed that deficit to 13 at halftime.
Give Murray State a lot of credit," said Green, following the game. "They did the things they had to do to win the game. They have a nice mix of scoring inside and being able to go outside the score from there as well. We probably got a little mesmerized watching them, and just never managed to get anything going, either inside or outside."
To emphasize Green's thoughts, Southern Miss shot just .393 (11-28) from the field in the first half, while the Racers were posting a .519 shooting touch on 14-of-27 shooting. And things would only get worse in the second half.
In the final 20 minutes, Murray State shot a red-hot .697 (23-33) from the field and finished at .617 (37-60) for the game. To make it a complete day, Murray State shot .563 (9-16) from three-point rage and .733 (11-15) from the line, while the Golden Eagles failed to find their shooting touch from anywhere on the floor, finishing at .371 (23-62) from the field, .111 (109) from three-point range and .467 (7-15) from the free throw line.
Murray State put six players in double figures, with Antoine Whelchel and Rick Jones leading the way with 16 points each. Southern Miss had only three players in double-digits, with Charles Gaines leading the Eagles with 18 points. He also added a game-high 11 rebounds for Southern Miss, though the Eagles lost the rebounding battle 38-30. Jasper Johnson added 13 points and Greg Johnson followed with 10.
Following the Murray State game, Southern Miss continues a road trip that has the team playing four straight games on the road. A pair of games in the Winthrop Tournament (Dec. 5-6) in Rock Hill, S.C., continues the trip. The Eagles will play Hampton in the opening round.