Box Score
Illinois vs Murray St 
Mar 13, 1980 at Champaign, Il 

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VISITORS: Murray State Racers
## Player Name            FG FT FTA  TP  
   Green...............    2  3  4   7
   Hooker..............    5  9 11  19
   Mann................    4  5  6  13
   Smith...............    4  2  2  10
   Sleets..............    3  0  0   6
   W.Davis.............    2  2  2   6
   Harris..............    1  0  0   2
   Boyd................    0  0  0   0
   M.Davis.............    0  0  0   0
   Totals..............   21 21 25  63 

Fouled out: Sleets

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HOME TEAM: Illinois Fightin' Illini
## Player Name            FG FT FTA TP
   Johnson.............    4  1  5   9
   Smith...............    6  0  2  12
   Holcomb.............    3  0  0   6
   Range...............    6  4  6  16
   Gray................    8  0  1  16
   Breshnahan..........    1  0  0   2
   Griffin.............    1  0  0   2
   Judson..............    1  0  0   2
   Cobb................    0  0  0   0 
   Totals..............   30  5 14  65

Fouled out: Holcomb

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Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Murray State..................   31   32   63
Illinois......................   34   31   65

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Illinois hold off Murray 65-63

Illinois, using it's fast break to gain an early lead, held on to edge Murray 
State 65-63 Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tour-
nament before 15,070 fans at Champaign, Ill.

Murray State, which earlier beat Jacksonville and Alabama, bowed out with a 23-8
record, the most victories for the Ohio Valley Conference team since the 1941 
season when the Racers had 25.

Illinois, now 20-13, had a 60-53 lead with five minutes, 18 seconds to play. In
the remaining time, coach Lou Henson's team - No. 1 in the Big Ten in free-
throw shooting - missed seven front ends of one-and-one situations.

Allen Mann sank a pair of free throws and Gary Hooker hit from the side to pull
Murray within 60-57. Illinois' Perry Range swished a 15-footer, but Jerry Smith
converted two foul shots for Murray.

Range then hit two free throws to restore Illinois' advantage to five, but Smith
drilled a 20-footer. After the Illini's Mark Smith missed from the foul line in
the one-and-one, Murray's Glen Green hit two free throws to pull the Racers 
within one 64-63.

Eddie Johnson, Illinois' top scorer who was limited to nine points, was fouled
in the act of shooting. He missed the first attempt but made the second.

Under great pressure, Jerry Smith missed a 15-footer, and Mark Smith rebounded
for Illinois. Johnson was fouled with four seconds left, but again he missed
at the line. Murray rebounded and Jerry Smith rifled a 40-footer bounced off 
the rim at the buzzer.

Illinois breezed to a 12-3 lead with the benefit of four fast-break baskets at
the outset. Murray coach Ron Greene said, "No one has gotten that many fast 
breaks against us all season."

To make matters worse for Murray, Illinois played a zone defense the entire 
game. Coach Henson adopted this strategy in a second-round victory over
Illinois State and stuck with it against Murray. As a result, the Racers 
appeared tentative in attacking the defense.

Greene said, "The difference in the game was their ability to stay in the zone
the whole game. If we could have gotten the lead, we could have pulled them 
out of it - and won."

Illinois got 14 baskets from guards Range and Reno Gray, who had 16 points
apiece and combined for 13 assists.

Illinois shot 50.8 percent from the floor (30 of 59) and managed only 5 of 14
from the line for 35.7 percent. Murray hit 40.4 percent (21 of 52), but had
five shots blocked by Illinois' tall front line.