[DataKing]

JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCKS (6-16, 6-10)

at
MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (12-12, 7-9)

Winning Ugly. Aggressive 2nd-Half Play Leads Eagles to Victory, 61-46.

February 13th, 2007.

MOREHEAD, KY - It wouldn't win any beauty pagents. In fact, tonight's game between the Morehead State Eagles and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks wouldn't even win the $10 in Monopoly money for taking 2nd prize. But what it lacked in beauty, it made up for in substance and meaning for a struggling Morehead State Eagles squad. Coach King's team had lost six of its last eight coming into tonight, and was desperately clinging to the 7th spot in the conference standings (only the top 8 teams receive invitations to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament). With tonight's win, a winning record for the season is still within reach as well.

Ugly doesn't even begin to describe the way the game started, however. After trading buckets in the first minute of play, the next 10 minutes were an exercise in utter futility for both teams on the offensive end. Shots were clanging off the iron with such regularity that the crowd let out a particularly loud cheer when an Andreas Coleman jump-hook tied the game at 6-6 with 8:56 to go in the half! Coach King was desperate to find some sort of offense, and so had a number of substitutes in the game. And one of these subs, an unlikely source, was the one to provide the Eagles with the spark they were desperately looking for. Freshman forward Dan Penick, known for his physical play, threw down an offensive rebound in thunderous fashion, igniting the crowd and his teammates. The dunk tied the game at 11-11, but marked a significant turning point with 5:38 to play in the half. Twenty seconds later, point guard Brandon Callahan picked off an errant Gamecock pass and scored on a layup, giving Morehead State a lead that they would never surrender. Both teams' offenses woke up after this, and Jacksonville State trailed by only 3 at the break, 27-24, thanks to an Erik Adams 3-pointer at the buzzer.

But the tone had been set, and the second half started very much in the home team's favor. Strong inside play from Shaun Williams and a much more aggressive offense overall sent the Eagles on an 11-3 run to start the half. Jacksonville State began to accumulate fouls at an alarming rate, thanks largely to Brandon Callahan's determination to drive the lane, and the Gamecocks also lost their floor leader when Will Ginn was fouled hard by Clinton Reisz as he drove the lane at the other end. Ginn did not return, and the Eagles ramped up the defensive pressure in response. Jacksonville State went small in an effort to shoot their way out of the hole that had been dug for them, but their efforts proved futile. Shots continued to rattle out for the Gamecocks, and the Eagles' size advantage began to take its toll, especially on the glass. Morehead State's lead never dropped into single-digits, and Coach King had the luxury of emptying his bench at the end of the game, to the delight of the crowd.

Scoreboard
Final - Johnson Arena               1H     2H    Fin
-Jacksonville St (6-17, 6-11)       24     22     46
-Morehead State (13-12, 8-9)        27     34     61

Starters

Jacksonville St        Yr     Ht     Pos     Morehead State       Yr     Ht
Will Ginn              JR     6'0"    PG     Brandon Callahan     JR     6'0"
Erik Adams             JR     6'5"    SG     Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"
Harold Crow            SR     6'7"    SF     Jamyron Steward      JR     6'3"
Courtney Bradley       SR     6'5"    PF     Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"
Dorien Brown           JR     6'7"     C     Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10"

Team Statistics

 Jacksonville St                                        Morehead State
        46               Points                                61
        17               Field Goals Made                      21
        52               Field Goals Attempted                 58
      0.327              Field Goal %                        0.362
         7               3 Pointers Made                        1
        24               3 Pointers Attempted                  16
      0.292              3 Pointers %                        0.063
         5               Free Throws Made                      18
         8               Free Throws Attempted                 21
      0.625              Free Throw %                        0.857
        15               Assists                                8
        18               Turnovers                             11
        14               Team Fouls                             8
        31               Total Rebounds                        41
         6               Offensive Rebounds                    10
        25               Defensive Rebounds                    31
         9               Steals                                17
         1               Blocks                                 1
        16               Points in the Paint                   32
        18               Bench Points                          18
         4               Second Chance Points                   8
         2               Fast Break Points                     16

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Brandon Callahan                 12     3     3     3     0    1    0    31
Shaun Williams                    9    10     0     1     0    1    0    25
Clinton Reisz                     9     8     0     3     0    1    3    25
Quentin Pryor                     7     3     1     4     0    1    1    30
Jamyron Steward                   6     2     4     3     0    2    1    26
Cordaryl Ballard                  6     2     0     0     0    2    0     9
Dan Penick                        5     2     0     0     0    0    0    14
Andreas Coleman                   3     7     0     0     1    1    0    16
Nikola Stojakovic                 2     2     0     2     0    0    1    10
Bill Davis                        2     0     0     0     0    0    0     3
Vincent Crutcher                  0     2     0     1     0    2    0    15
Chase Denson                      0     0     0     0     0    0    2     3

Coach's Notes

• Mad props go out to Dan Penick. He may have only scored five points, but two of those five came at exactly the right time, and his dunk really sparked our sputtering offense.
• Shaun Williams was a little perturbed that I pulled him out of the game when I did. I think he wanted a double-double, but I am not going to risk injury to him in garbage time. I'll try to make it up to him on Thursday (Senior Night).
• "Crutch" was horrible tonight, going 0-for-7 from the field. Jam Steward wasn't much better scoring-wise, but at least he was busy elsewhere on the floor (2 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals).
• In a nice little bit of irony, Bill Davis (who had complained over the weekend about never seeing the court because, well, he sucks) got fouled in the act with 47 seconds to play and drained both free-throws.
• I couldn't help but smile when I heard the crowd start chanting 'GO HOME' with about five minutes left to play. These rural Kentucky folk crack me up sometimes.