The Murray State men’s basketball team clashed with the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers for the first time since 2014. However, it did not go the way the Racers would have hoped, as they lost a close one with a score of 86-81.
Senior guard Rob Perry led the Racers in scoring and was tied with two other players for the lead in rebounds, as he finished with 21 points and 6 boards.
Despite his good performance, Perry said he believes not just one or two guys can win a game.
“We were just trying to come together at the end and be a collective toughness,” Perry said. “Not just one or two guys, but the whole five. And I just think moving forward, with this early test, it shouldn’t bother us. Just know that we can get through adversity… because the playmaking and the ability we have on this team is going to be good… I love this group of guys and I can’t wait to get back to work.”
Perry did his best to lead the Racers to the victory, as he scored nine of the team’s last 12 points in the last five minutes of the game.
One of the main factors in the loss for the Racers was the hole the team dug itself into in the first half. They were down nine at the end of the period as a result of some costly turnovers. Head Coach Steve Prohm spoke more about the first half postgame.
“When you play a team that pressures the way [Western Kentucky does], that jams you and picks you up full-court, I think it takes you a little bit of time to get adjusted,” Prohm said. “What was really big was when we got it to about four in the first half… and I told the staff, ‘Maybe we can get it down to two or three’… and then it ended up going to nine, and that was a big key.”
Despite digging themselves into a hole by the end of the first half, the Racers were able to come out of the locker room and go on a 12-0 run to begin the second half. After that, the lead changed hands a total of seven times, but the Racers were not able to pull it out in the end.
With this loss to WKU, Murray State now sits at 2-1 so far this season. The Racers will travel to Florida to face the University of North Carolina Wilmington on Monday, Nov. 20 in the team’s first of two games in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
