The Murray State Racers continue to stand atop their competition from a record standpoint, holding a six-game lead over their Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) opponents, with a 17-3 season record prior to Friday evening’s matchup. The Racers continued to add wins to their record by defeating Southern Illinois 79-75, securing their ninth conference win of the season on Friday, Jan. 29, at the CFSB Center.
Southern Illinois stands firmly below the home squad entering Thursday evening’s game, holding a 6-13 record on the season, with a 3-7 record in conference play. Despite the Salukis securing an early lead in the first minutes of the game, Murray State was able to secure an 18-16 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Racers found success early through the jump shot, with 16 of the home team’s 18 points in the first coming from shooting the ball. Junior forward Sharnecce Currie-Jelks proved an effective scorer early in the game, scoring seven points.
The Salukis fought back, but Murray State continued to carry their lead into halftime after outscoring the visitors 21-15 in the second quarter. In spite of quick offense from both paintwork and jump shooting to start the third quarter from Currie-Jelks, and sophomore guard Braxcynn Baker scoring back-to-back three-point shots, the Racers proved to be offensively outmatched in the third; Southern Illinois outscored the home team in the third quarter by a 21-20 margin.
The Salukis entered the final quarter with immediate offense, scoring a quick four points. In response, junior guard Haven Ford scored two free throws and a layup to further cement the Racers’ lead. The visitors, however, were not deterred. After a continued offensive back-and-forth, in part led by another set of quick baskets by Currie-Jelks, Southern Illinois found an opportunity in the paint for senior guard Indya Green to bring Murray State’s lead down to a single point. However, a quick layup from Ford nullified this bucket, and the Racers were again up by three. After another layup for the Salukis, Currie-Jelks scored another four points for the home team. While the Salukis continued to fight back from the foul line, this performance proved to be enough, and the Racers won the game 79-75.
Currie-Jelks’ productive performance carried over to the stat sheet, with the forward scoring 20 points, two assists and three steals, while leading the team in rebounds, with six, and blocks, with two. Ford also proved herself an effective offensive contributor, scoring 18 for the Racers, shooting 2/4 from the three-point line, and 6/7 from the free throw line.
However, junior guard Halli Poock’s performance stood as the Racers’ most valuable, from a statistical standpoint. Poock led the team in scoring, with 21 points, while also recording three rebounds and three assists. Poock also led the team in both free throws made and free throw attempts, going 11/13 from the charity stripe.
Following the win, the Racers now stand at 18-3 on the year, leading the MVC in total wins by a six-game margin. This also marks Murray State’s second victory against Southern Illinois of the 2025-26 season, as the Racers previously faced the Salukis in a 87-74 win on Jan. 15. This win now also puts the team at 9-1 in conference play on the year, good enough to lead the MVC. Murray State now looks ahead to their next contest, where they travel to the Curb Event Center Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, to take on Belmont, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
