After a 102-91 loss to SMU in Dallas to drop to 2-1 on the year, Murray State looked to bounce back in a home stint before their upcoming trip to the Cayman Islands.
11/15 vs Nicholls
The Racers bounced back with a 20-point win over the Nicholls Colonels behind a 24-point and 10-rebound game from senior center Fred King. King’s 24 points were a career high. He also tallied five blocks.
Murray State jumped out to a 48-39 lead at halftime despite getting the ball stolen 10 times. The Racers never surrendered the lead in the first half.
Despite the Colonels cutting the Racers’ lead to three with 18:36 left in the game, Murray State put their foot on the accelerator and went on a 19-8 run.
The Racers beat the Colonels 99-79 to pick up their third win of the early season.
King is the first Racer to finish with 20 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks since Ed Daniel did against Lipscomb in 2012. He also finished 8-for-8 from the field and is the first Racer to do that since Jeff McClain against Eastern Illinois in 2010.
Senior guard Javon Jackson wasn’t far behind King, finishing with 23 points and dishing out four assists. Both Jackson and King finished 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Sophomore guard Layne Taylor made his first start as a Racer and finished with 14 points and four assists. Freshman forward Roman Domon finished with 11 points for the second straight game. He scored double-digit points in each of the first four games of the season.
11/18 vs Little Rock
Murray State hosted the Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite, the Little Rock Trojans, as their last test before heading to the Cayman Islands.
A back-and-forth contest between both teams saw the Racers take the lead and never lose it after a 14-0 run with 5:35 left in the first half. The Racers took a 43-23 lead into the halftime break.
The Racers picked up right where they left off in the second half, going on an 18-8 run and extending their lead to 30 with 14:52 remaining. During the run, Murray State forced three Little Rock turnovers that all resulted in made 3-point shots by Taylor, senior forward Mason Miller and junior center Dylan Anderson.
The Racers beat the Trojans 89-68 defending their home court before they take part in the Cayman Islands Classic.
The Racers were led by Miller and junior guard Brayden Shorter, who both finished with 16 points. Shorter scored his first two-point baskets of the year, going 6-for-11 from the field and 5-for-9 from three.
Jackson was once again a top scorer for the Racers, finishing with 13 points. Jackson, King and sophomore guard KJ Tenner all finished with two steals in the contest.
The Racers’ next game is at 6:30 p.m. central on Sunday, Nov. 23, against the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders in the first of three games they’ll play in the Cayman Islands Classic.
