The newcomers shined in Murray State’s first game of the season as the Racers defeated the Midway University Eagles 91-58.
Junior forward Nick Ellington led the Racers in scoring and rebounds with 22 points and 12 boards.
Senior guard Shawn Walker, Jr. scored 12 points on 5/9 shooting from the floor.
Walker spoke postgame about the relationship between him and Ellington. He said ever since getting here, they’ve become best friends, and their chemistry shows on the court.
“Nick is my guy,” Walker said. “We hang tight all day, everyday. It helps us a lot on the court because we want to see each other win. I want to see him do well so if he does something, I’m right there to hype him up.”
Ellington was responsible for seven of the Racers’ first nine points in the game as Murray State took an early 9-4 lead.
The Eagles took a four-point lead with 11:49 left until halftime, but the Racers went on back-to-back 10-plus point runs to take a 20 point lead with three minutes left in the first half.
The Racers ended the first half on a 6-0 run, going up 54-33 at halftime.
Murray State’s lead reached 39 points near the end of the game, but Midway ended the game on a 7-0 run to make the final score 91-58 in favor of the Racers.
Walker and Ellington were just two of the seven Racers with double-digit points in the game. Junior guard JaCobi Wood and senior guard Quincy Anderson both finished with 12 points, senior guard Rob Perry had 11 points and junior guard Brian Moore, Jr. and sophomore guard Justin Morgan each had 10 points.
Ellington explained what it’s been like to play at Murray State so far, saying he’s just out here to play basketball, and it’s a game at the end of the day.
“With this group of guys, you can’t help but have fun,” Ellington said. “You can’t help but enjoy the game. There’s so many positive guys on this team. And seeing the student section tonight, you can’t help but look up and be happy. This is just basketball at the end of the day. It’s meant to be fun.”
Murray State starts the season 1-0 with the win over Midway. The Racers return home to the CFSB Center to host Tennessee Tech for a White Out game at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10.
