1,000 points couldn't wait any longer. After seven games of chipping away at the monumental number, senior forward Danero Thomas joined the prestigious club Saturday night just after halftime against the Eagles of Morehead State.
Unlike last season's induction, when Tyler Holloway drilled his 1,000th point in dramatic fashion, Thomas knocked down the big point from a little more unusual place - the free-throw line.
“I feel great about it,” Thomas said. “To be in the record books in my last year, it’s a great feeling.”
Leading a fast break in the early minutes of the second half, Thomas was chopped from behind needing just one free throw to break the milleneum mark. He hit both for extra measure. Like their star senior, the Racers got off to a slow start in the game but found themselves sitting pretty with a comfortable 15-point lead, 43-28, at intermission after shots started falling, shooting a cool 60 percent (15-25) from the field.
Whereas a back-and-forth pace dominated the early phase of the contest, ball control became a key late in the half as Murray State geared up for a 16-4 run to pull away from a 19-19 tie with 7:59 remaining. Things never got any better for the Eagles, as Murray State went on a tear in the second half, going up by as many as 31 at one point , topped off with a layup by senior center Georges Fotso to end the rout at 86-56.
“You got to win your home games,” Head Coach Billy Kennedy said. “To start out (conference play) 2-0 this early with teams still trying to figure themselves out and for us to be 7-1 and have the experience we have my paying a lot of people is only going to help us. We needed this. We needed this cushion. We needed this confidence.”
Kenneth Farried, the preseason OVC Player of the Year, had a productive first half for the Eagles recording seven points and eight rebounds but picked up his game in second half to finish with 14 points and 14 rebounds for his fifth double-double.
Junior guard B.J. Jenkins had a another big day for the Blue and Gold, knocking down four three-pointers to notch 17 points. He also added seven assists.
Kenneth Farried, the preseason OVC Player of the Year, had a productive first half for the Eagles recording seven points and eight rebounds but picked up his game in second half to finish with 14 points and 14 rebounds for his fifth double-double.
Junior guard B.J. Jenkins had a another big day for the Blue and Gold, knocking down four three-pointers to notch 17 points. He also added seven assists.
Be the first to comment on this article! Log in to Comment
You must be logged in to comment on an article. Not already a member? Register now