Racers beat Omaha, 85-77, in Miller's debut
MBB: Javon Jackson led Murray State with 24 points in the win over the Mavericks
Murray State beat Omaha, 85-77, in The Field of 68’s Opening Day Marathon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Here’s what you need to know:
With the win, the Racers improve to 1-0 on the season
Javon Jackson led Murray State in scoring with 24 points
Roman Domon (14 points), Layne Taylor (12 points) and Mason Miller (12 points) were the other Racers who scored in double-figures
You can see the full box score here
Leading 37-35 early in the second half, Murray State went on a 17-2 run over the next 6:43 to take control of the game
The Racers finished 30-for-33 from the free throw line, highlighted by Jackson and Domon each going 10-for-10 from the charity stripe
Murray State will host Mississippi Valley State on Friday night at the CFSB Center
#1 in the books for Ryan Miller
It was an emotional day for Murray State Head Coach Ryan Miller, as he coached his first game leading his own program in front of more than 100 friends and family members. The native of Mitchell, South Dakota, just 72 miles from Sioux Falls, and his team gave the new Racer fans in attendance plenty to cheer about in the win.
“That was a fun moment,” Miller said, when asked about his players dousing him with water in the locker room after the game. “Like I told the guys afterwards, 22 years of coaching basketball, a lifelong basketball guy, playing basketball, being involved in basketball my whole life. We’ve got a great group of guys. We’ve got an unbelievable staff. Just going through this journey, as a first-year head coach, I wouldn’t want to do it with any other guys, team, players, staff, everybody that’s involved, administration, (Athletic Director) Nico (Yantko) and his team. (They’re) just really supportive, and I’m just relieved it’s over. Now we can go focus and try to keep getting better.”
King out, but Anderson steps in with productive minutes
With senior forward Fred King missing the game as he continues to recover from a minor knee injury he suffered in last week’s exhibition game against Northern State, 7-footer Dylan Anderson took King’s place in the starting lineup. In 19 minutes of action, Anderson finished with eight points, making all three of his shots from the field, to go along with five rebounds and a blocked shot. After playing in just 39 games over the last three seasons at Arizona and Boise State, Anderson took advantage of his time on the court Monday afternoon.
“He’s an unselfish guy,” Murray State senior guard Javon Jackson said. “He doesn’t care if he scores or not. I love playing with him.”
“I give him all the credit in the world,” Miller added. “Some of the things he does don’t get recognized on a stat sheet. His ability to Gortat (screen) at the rim and get our guys open layups. Javon really got some easy layup attempts in the Northern (State) game and today because of his Gortat screening and just his toughness. He’s just come along as a tough competitor. You know what? He can stretch the floor with threes. We haven’t seen it yet, but we will. He’ll get that going here pretty soon, too.”
Jackson leads the Racers in scoring again
After scoring a team-high 22 points last Sunday against Northern State, Javon Jackson followed that performance up with another 24 points today against Omaha. Jackson may not have been at the top of the scouting report for Murray State’s opponents a couple of weeks ago, but he’s shown he can score with anybody.
“We noticed that in the transfer portal when we recruited him — his ability to score,” Miller said. “The fact that he had 30 on Murray State last year kind of solidified the deal. If he gets 30 on Murray State, we’ve got to take a good look at him. His ability to score the basketball is crucial. He’s a physical driving guard, he can make an open three, and we’re going to utilize those attributes.”
Murray State holds off the Mavs at the free throw line
Every time Omaha even hinted at making a run at the Racers in the second half, Murray State’s free throw shooting provided a rebuttal. The Racers finished the game 30-for-33 (90.9%) at the line. In the last 20 years, today was the first time a Murray State team had attempted at least 33 free throws and made at least 90.9% of their attempts. With Jackson and Roman Domon both going 10-for-10 from the stripe, it eliminated a lot of drama late in the game.
“To close out games, you have to be able to make free throws,” Miller said. “If you see comebacks, which we almost gave up one today, it’s usually because you miss free throws and you turn the ball over. We turned the ball over, but we were fortunate enough to make free throws, so that kind of counteracts our poor decision-making at times. We’ve got some stuff to clean up late in the game. It’s a good thing we had a 10-to-15 point cushion, or else it could have gotten dicey.”
King and Tenner appear to be OK
JJ Traynor started today after missing the two exhibition games with a shoulder injury. Fred King didn’t play because of his knee injury, but Miller said he’s hopeful King will be able to go Friday against Mississippi Valley State. Sophomore guard KJ Tenner, after being knocked to the floor in the first half, had an Omaha player fall on his head. Tenner left the game and wouldn’t return. After the game, Miller said Tenner would be evaluated, but he believed Tenner was OK and was optimistic Tenner would be available on Friday.
Next up: Mississippi Valley State
The Racers will try to improve to 2-0 on the season on Friday when they host Mississippi Valley State for the season opener. Tip-time at the CFSB Center is set for 7:00pm.