The scouting report for the Murray State Racers probably says two things – stop sophomore guard Trey Pearson and force junior guard Keith Jenifer to make jump shots.

The Eastern men’s basketball team did just that, but Jenifer’s big second half, along with junior center Preston Griffith’s play, pushed Murray State to a 72-66 win over the Panthers Saturday night at Lantz Arena.

Jenifer scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, and Griffith added 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting while grabbing seven rebounds, blocking three shots and grabbing five steals.

Eastern head coach Rick Samuels said his team executed part of the defensive gameplan, holding Pearson scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting. But, the Panthers’ focus on Pearson created other openings.

“We really tried to keep (Pearson) from getting loose, and part of that strategy was to be softer off Keith Jenifer,” Samuels said. “And he made us pay.”

Heading into the game, Jenifer was averaging 6.9 points while shooting 35.8 percent from the field. Against the Panthers (12-15, 7-9 Ohio Valley Conference), he hit 7-of-11 from the floor, making 5-of-6 in the second half. Jenifer’s 19 points was his season-high.

Murray State head coach Mick Cronin said he was worried his team wouldn’t find someone fill Pearson’s shoes.

Pearson leads Murray State (17-1, 11-5) with a 15.3 points per game scoring average.

“I was concerned with us getting points, especially down the stretch where (Pearson’s) our go-to guy,” Cronin said. “We needed him to step up.”

And Jenifer did just that, Eastern senior forward Andy Gobczynski said.

“We wanted to force him to make plays as part of our gameplan,” Gobczynski said. “He stepped up and made some plays by getting to the hole.

“He took the slack we gave him.”

Jenifer wasn’t the only player to contribute with Pearson not scoring, Griffith’s 6-foot-10, 255-pound frame gave the Panthers problems, as he scored a career-high 17 points.

“He’s a big body, and we were letting him catch it way too close to the basket,” Samuels said. “His point production was critical.”

Cronin said Griffith did more than just score, but he affected numerous aspects of the game.

“He was all over the place,” Cronin said. “17 (points) and seven (rebounds), five steals, three blocks and 12 deflections – that’s his career game.

“Griffith changed the game.”

While the Racers had players filling the scoring void created by Pearson’s zero-point night, the Panthers couldn’t overcome a tough night by their second leading scorer, senior guard Emanuel Dildy.

Samuels said Murray State’s pressure defense kept Dildy from being able to run the offense with ease.

Dildy finished with nine points on 2-of-10 shooting, missing all six of his three-point field goal attempts. Eastern junior guard Josh Gomes led all scorers with 22 points.

“We were able to stay with him much better than Gomes,” Cronin said. “We needed to stop Dildy because we couldn’t stop Gomes.”

Jenifer said one of his team’s strengths is that there are always other players waiting to pick up the slack.

“The way we play, every night someone can be our leading scorer,” Jenifer said. “If it’s not Trey, there’s always someone there ready to step up, and we needed that tonight.”

And Samuels said the Racers beat Eastern with their depth.

“We took away their best scorers,” Samuels said. “But other people got loose.”