WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
UT Martin 70, @Eastern Kentucky 69 (CIT)
@Old Dominion 72,
Murray State 69 (NIT)
UT MARTIN 70, EASTERN KENTUCKY 69
RICHMOND, Ky. - Marshun Newell swished a go-ahead three-pointer from the right corner with 3.3 seconds left for the game-winner in the University of Tennessee at Martin’s 70-69 victory at Eastern Kentucky in the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament quarterfinals.
Newell’s last-second trey was his fourth of the second half alone, as he made all four of his three-point attempts in the final 7:17 of the contest after the Colonels built a seven-point lead. The senior out of Memphis concluded the game with 16 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds.
With the win, the Skyhawks (21-12) advance to the semifinals of the CIT on Tuesday, March 31. UT Martin will have to wait until the conclusion of the tournament quarterfinals on Saturday, March 28 before finding out who its next opponent will be. The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports Network.
Twymond Howard equaled a career-high with 23 points for UT Martin this evening, converting nine of his 13 shot attempts while adding seven rebounds. Alex Anderson drained four 3-pointers on his way to 14 points while Javier Martinez (11 points on 5-for-5 shooting, seven rebounds) played big in 24 minutes off the bench for the Skyhawks, who led for 25:26 of the contest and outrebounded Eastern Kentucky by a 43-19 margin.
Eastern Kentucky (21-12) was led by Corey Walden’s 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Timmy Knipp scored all 15 of his points in the second half while Eric Stutz added 10 points for the Colonels, who made nine of their 15 three-pointers in the final 20 minutes.
Eastern Kentucky scored first but the Skyhawks reeled off seven straight points over a span of 1:26, the last four of which came from Howard. The Colonels responded with a bucket on their next possession but UT Martin used another 7-0 spurt to go ahead by double-figures (14-4) when Newell sank a pair of free throws at the 13:49 mark.
After the Colonels converted a three-pointer on their ensuing possession, the Skyhawks used yet another 7-0 run to extend its lead out to 14 points when an Anderson three-pointer midway through the first half made the score 21-7.
UT Martin was able to push its lead out to 15 points when Chandler Rowe scored on an aggressive take to the hoop. The Skyhawks led by as many as 14 points with six minutes to go before the break but Walden soon heated up. He scored all 11 of his first half points during a 15-7 Eastern Kentucky run to close out the half, making the score 36-30 in UT Martin’s favor.
Howard’s 12 points led all scorers at the break, as the Skyhawks shot 60.9 percent (14-for-23) in the first 20 minutes. Walden’s spurt at the end of the first half resulted in a team-best 11 points for Eastern Kentucky, who was held to 36.7 percent shooting (11-for-30) in the first half.
Knipp made a pair of three-pointers to begin the second half for the Colonels but Howard came away with a dunk and free throw for UT Martin to keep the Skyhawk lead at three points. Under a minute later, Isaac McGlone converted a pair of fast break layups off steals to give Eastern Kentucky a 40-39 lead – its first advantage since the opening basket of the game. That basket ignited a 10-2 run for the Colonels, who stretched their lead out to five points before an old-fashioned three-point play by Howard trimmed UT Martin’s deficit to just two points (48-46) midway through the second half.
The Colonels followed with baskets on back-to-back trips down the floor to take a seven-point advantage with 8:29 left to play.
UT Martin responded with a lengthy run, keyed by Newell. He knocked down three trifectas in the span of 3:13 – the last of which capped off a 14-4 Skyhawk run and tilted the score back in UT Martin’s favor at 60-57 with four minutes to go.
Knipp came back with a straightaway three-pointer to even the score but Martinez scored on the Skyhawks’ next trip down the floor on a tip-in created by an offensive rebound. The lead changed hands once again just 30 seconds later, as Walden knocked down trifectas on consecutive possessions to give the Colonels a 66-62 edge with two minutes remaining.
Anderson then answered back with a clutch three-pointer from the right corner, slicing the Skyhawk deficit down to one point with 1:46 to go. Knipp sank a three-pointer on Eastern Kentucky’s next possession but Martinez came away with yet another huge tip-in layup just 28 seconds later to make the score 69-67.
The Skyhawks forced a missed shot on the Colonels’ next trip down the floor, giving UT Martin the ball back with 25 seconds left to play. Eastern Kentucky committed a pair of fouls and later deflected the ball out of bounds with 6.2 seconds remaining.
On the inbounds play, Newell took a handoff and hoisted a three-pointer in front of the Skyhawk bench that found nothing but net, giving UT Martin a 70-69 edge with 3.3 seconds left. Eastern Kentucky quickly called a timeout to set up a final play but ultimately could not get a shot off as time expired.
OLD DOMINION 72, MURRAY STATE 69
NORFOLK, Va. - The amazing 2014-15 season for the Murray State Racers came to an end Wednesday in the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals on a buzzer-beater to the Old Dominion Monarchs 72-69 at the Constant Center in Norfolk, Virginia.
Down by 10 points with 3:30 remaining, the Racers (29-6) fought back and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Jeffery Moss with 3.5 seconds left. MSU’s 14-4 run came after they trailed 65-55 with 3:37 left.
ODU’s Trey Freeman hit a 30-foot bank shot at shot at the buzzer to win the game and send the Monarchs (27-7) to the NIT semifinals in New York City.
The Racers were in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1980 and looking for their first semifinal trip for an Ohio Valley Conference team since 1965.
Murray State also missed their third 30-win season since 2010.
In the first half, MSU fell behind by as many as nine points when it was 22-14 at the 6:53 mark. The Racers drew to one point when Jarvis Williams made a free throw and then got a put-back at the 2:05 mark.
Trailing 29-27, the Racers grabbed a 32-31 lead at the 18:48 mark of the second half when Cameron Payne hit a 3-pointer. MSU fell behind by 10 at the 9:36 mark and cut it back to four points at 7:52.
Cameron Payne led MSU with 23 points, while Jarvis Williams added 15 and Moss 12.
The Racers indeed had another great season.
They enjoyed their 28th consecutive winning season, which is the fourth-best streak in the nation. The Racers were a whisker from having their third 30-win season since 2010 and finished with the third best win total in the 90 years of the program. MSU had the nation’s second-longest win streak during the season of 25. They were the first team at MSU and just the fifth in 67 seasons of OVC hoops to run the table in going 16-0. MSU rose again into the national rankings when they were No. 24 in the USA Today poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press. MSU also had the nation’s top road win total of 12 including a run of 11 straight that ended at ODU.
The Racers also say goodbye to a loved trio of seniors (Jonathan Fairell, T.J. Sapp and Jarvis Williams) that won 52 games in two seasons.