EKU falls to Racers, 62-60, on last-second shot

Wendy Haun

Going into Thursday’s matchup with the very-defensively-minded Murray State, the Colonels knew it was a tough challenge they were facing.

Eastern Kentucky University gave another stellar defensive performance, but standout junior B.J. Jenkins hit a jump shot with four seconds left to give the Racers a 62-60 win over the Colonels in Murray.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with our effort tonight,” EKU coach Jeff Neubauer said. “Our defensive effort and overall effort were tremendous. We just need to rebound a little bit better, but our effort was an A-plus.”

Both teams came out firing, with Murray taking an early six-point lead, then EKU battling back off three-pointers by Josh Taylor and Mike Lewis and taking a three-point lead off a three-pointer by Papa Oppong. The 26-23 lead the Colonels took with 4:38 left in the first half would last them until the second half.

“I think our guys competed very well in the first half,” Neubauer said. “The little runs in the first half were good for our spirits. Our guys did stick with it. Even when they made runs, we still put ourselves in position to win the game.”

Oppong had a game-high 18 points, which included 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and didn’t miss a shot until a desperation shot as time expired at the end of the first half.

“Papa played maybe the best game of his EKU career,” Neubauer said. “He has had three games in a row where he’s just been tremendous. I’m pleased with how he shot the ball and how he defended. He is the bright spot tonight.”

EKU (5-2, 0-1 Ohio Valley Conference) came out firing in the second half, scoring nine of the first 15 points, including baskets by Josh Jones, Oppong, Taylor and Spencer Perrin to extend their lead to eight points with 16:48 left in the game.

However, Murray (6-1, 1-0 OVC) went on a run of their own, scoring the next seven points off a three-pointer by Isacc Miles and jumpers by Donte Poole and Danero Thomas. After keeping it close, EKU went on another run, behind the play of Oppong and Taylor. Taylor gave the Colonels a nine-point lead, 57-48, off a three-point play with six minutes left.

Murray would not lead until just 11 seconds were left, off a layup by Jeffery McClain. Jones tied the game at 60 with a 1-of-2 effort from the free-throw line, but Jenkins got a dish from Isaiah Canaan for the game-winner.

Noticeably missing from EKU’s offense was Justin Stommes, who leads the team in scoring. The standout junior, who turned in a season-low two points off of 1-of-2 shooting, was suffering from leg cramps for most of the second half that limited his playing time.

Taylor added 15 points, Perrin and Lewis both scored eight and Jones added six. Perrin led the Colonels in rebounding — with eight — and assists (four). Taylor also had seven rebounds. Taylor, Stommes and Lewis all had three assists apiece.

Thursday’s outing was an odd one for the Colonels, who uncharacteristically had 15 assists to 20 turnovers, 14 of which were forced by the Racers.

“Certainly, Murray’s defense gets a lot of credit for that,” Neubauer said. “If I had a done a better job of calling plays, we wouldn’t have had as many turnovers. I put our guys in tough spots and they defended us very well.”

Tony Easley led Murray with 14 points, Miles added 13 and McClain scored 12. Murray shot 41.7 percent for the game.

EKU will return to action Saturday at UT Martin. Game time is set for 7 p.m. They will return home for their final game of 2009 against Ohio Valley next Thursday.

Text Only