Murray State men’s basketball fell to the Evansville Purple Aces 78-74 on Wednesday night at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. Despite a valiant effort, the Racers were unable to hold on to their early lead, dropping their record to 11-11 overall and 5-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Racers caught fire early, going on a 13-0 run and holding Evansville scoreless for nearly a quarter of the game. However, after halftime, the momentum shifted. Evansville slowly chipped away at Murray State’s lead and eventually overtook them, taking control in the second half. With just under four minutes remaining, the Racers watched their lead vanish, and the Purple Aces capitalized, closing out the game with a narrow victory.

It was a game of contrasting runs, with both teams experiencing scoring droughts but also flashes of brilliance. 

Senior guard JaCobi Wood had an outstanding performance, setting a new career high with 29 points. Wood shot 9-of-14 from the field, including tying his career-best with six 3-pointers. Senior forward AJ Ferguson contributed a solid 19 points and senior guard Terence Harcum added 11 points to the Racers’ total in the tough loss.

Murray State will look to bounce back this weekend as they continue their conference schedule. Looking ahead, Murray State will head to Springfield, Missouri, for a matchup with Missouri State at 2 p.m. this Saturday. After that, they will return to the CFSB Center to host Drake on Feb. 4.