There aren’t too many things in sports better than beating your former team, especially if you score a career-high against that team. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, that is exactly what happened for AJ Ferguson and the Murray State men’s basketball team.

The Racers looked to end a five-game losing streak against Southern Illinois dating back to 2020. The last time Murray State won at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois, was in 2018 when the Racers beat the Salukis 80-52.

Murray State took a very early lead at the 16:56 mark when senior forward Nick Ellington scored on a jump shot. The Salukis jumped in front and kept the lead until there was 5:43 left in the half when Ellington scored another basket, this time a layup.

The Racers took a 34-32 lead into halftime thanks to a strong first half from Ellington, who finished the half with 10 points and five rebounds, while not missing a shot from the field. Ferguson finished the half with six points and five rebounds.

Southern Illinois came out of the half and immediately took a one-point lead, but that was the last time they would lead in the game. Murray State took control and never looked back. The final score was 74-64 and the Racers were back in the win column.

Ferguson’s 22 points beat the career high he set earlier this season against UT Arlington on Nov. 26. He also scored 21 against Charlotte in the Diamond Head Classic on Dec. 23. Ellington finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. Senior guard Kylen Milton’s eight points in this game put him over 1,500 career points. Senior guard JaCobi Wood finished with nine points and seven assists. He is now nine points shy of scoring 1,000 Murray State career points, sitting at 991 points in 84 games as a Racer.

Murray State looks to keep the momentum rolling as they host the Belmont University Bruins at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky, on Saturday, Jan. 25.