Photo: @ESPNStatsInfo
Indianapolis, Ind- Only in March.
Murray State and Saint Peters, two mid-major programs, met on Saturday in Indianapolis with a chance to punch their tickets to the Sweet 16. Neither team had even been beyond the Round of 32 in their program’s history.
Three days ago, Saint Peter’s had never won a game in the NCAA Tournament, and now they headed to the Sweet 16. KC Ndefo recorded a double-double, 17 points, and 10 rebounds, as No. 15 Saint Peters defeated No. 7 Murray State 70-60.
With the win Saint Peters clinches their first Sweet 16 appearance in school history; they become just the third No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16.
Saint Peters controlled this game from the get-go; they would take a 2-0 lead and never look back. The Peacocks would never give up the lead, earning a rare wire-to-wire victory. They could control the game by playing a physical brand of basketball, which made it very hard for Murray State to get comfortable on offense.
After a tight and low-scoring first half, Saint Peters held a slim 32-27 lead at halftime. They would come out of the break, extend their lead to as much as 13, and put the Racers on their heels.
Murray State would rally and even pull within three points late. It wouldn’t be the Racers night, though. The Peacocks refused to let up and made big bucket after big bucket to get the biggest win in their program’s history.
Saint Peters “mucked it up,” as the CBS commentators would say on the defensive end that allowed them to get easy buckets on the other end. They allowed Murray State to make just 34.6% of their shots while making 41.5% of theirs.
They weren’t too bad on the offensive side either, and nine Saint Peters players would score. Ndefo led the way, but Mr. Mustache Doug Edert added 13 huge points off the bench. Edert made several huge shots down the stretch.
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Racers’ Run Ends in Indy
Entering Saturday’s game, Murray State had won 21 straight games. They seemed to be firing on all cylinders, but the unconventional play of Saint Peters brought an end to their season.
This season, Murray State had a different starting lineup for the first time. Trae Hannibal replaced Carter Collins; however, Collins injured his right ankle against San Fransisco on Thursday.
Hannibal finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, and four steals.
Juice Hill led the way on offense for the Racers as he scored 19 points. Tevin Brown added 14, and KJ Williams finished with 12.
Murray State dealt with foul trouble throughout the game with many of their player having three or more fouls for most of the second half. This brought out different lineups and messed with the offensive flow.
In the end mistakes like 12 turnovers, being outrebounded 35-27, and missing nine free throws proved to be too much to overcome. It was a great season for Murray State, but great things must come to an end.
What’s Next?
Next week, Saint Peters will play either Texas or Purdue in the Sweet 16.
