Four Racers finished in double figures en route to Murray State’s third straight win at home, as the Racers defeated the Valparaiso Beacons 80-68 Saturday afternoon.
Junior guard JaCobi Wood played all 40 minutes and led the Racers in scoring with 24 points while shooting 9-16 from the field. After the game, Wood gave all of the credit to his teammates for getting him open shots at the rim.
“Nick [Ellington] was sealing big guys down there, giving me lanes and setting good screens,” Wood said. “Credit to the bigs today. They set those screens and gave us energy [and] made me able to get downhill, so it was a really good job from them.”
The Racers got a lot of their looks at the rim and shot over 50% from the field on the game. Their play in the paint was a big part of them coming back from a deficit in the second half, as the team only shot two three-pointers after halftime.
The team found themselves down by eight points at the break, but the team’s offense came alive in the second half, and they went on a 20-8 run in the final eight minutes to put the game away.
While Wood tied his career high in points and led the team in scoring, three other players scored double digits, including junior Nick Ellington with 14, senior guard Rob Perry with 12 off the bench and senior guard Quincy Anderson with 10.
This win makes the Racers 9-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Head Coach Steve Prohm discussed the upcoming tournament after the game.
“I’m excited about this team,” Prohm said. “I think that St. Louis will provide certain challenges… But right now, our focus is just on Belmont.”
Murray State moves to 12-17, and 9-9 in conference play and are ranked sixth in the MVC. The Racers will be back in the CFSB Center on Wednesday, Feb. 28 against the rival Belmont Bruins on Senior Day. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
