The Murray State Racers battled valiantly but fell 85-81 in overtime Saturday to the Evansville Purple Aces at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
The loss snapped MSU’s 18-game home win streak that was the seventh longest in program history.
The Racers (5-4) nearly won the game in regulation time when Bryce Jones made a steal as Evansville was setting up to take the last shot. He intercepted a pass in the backcourt with five seconds left and raced into the frontcourt. Jones let fly with a would-be winning jumper from beyond the 3-point line. His shot was on line, but fell short as the buzzer sounded.
Tied 73-73, the Racers played their first overtime game of the season.
In extra time, Jones hit a pair of free throws with 2:52 left for a 77-76 MSU lead, but it was the final time they were in front. Evansville (7-1) took the lead for good from the free throw line with 2:34 left. The Racers were outscored 12-8 in the overtime period.
Murray State’s top three scorers all set career highs in the game. Jones scored 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while Wayne Langston added 18 and Justin Seymour scored 17. Gee McGhee and Jeffery Moss added 12 and 11 points to the MSU attack.
Seymour was largely responsible for a great offensive start for the Racers when he hit a pair of early threes. He finished hitting 6-of-9 from the field and all three of his 3-point attempts.
The Racers led 43-38 at halftime after ripping the net for 63 percent shooting on 12-of-27.
With semester final exam week coming up, the Racers won’t play in the coming week until they travel to Illinois State on Dec. 13. Game time at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois is 3 p.m.
Game Notes
The Racers’ loss tonight snapped an impressive 18-game win streak at the CFSB Center. MSU’s last loss was the 2014 season opener to Houston more than a year ago. MSU’s streak was 13th in the nation among D-I teams.
With 9:34 left in the first half, Gee McGhee scored a rare four-point play when he was fouled while making a 3-point basket. McGhee’s handy play was the first for a Racer since Jarvis Williams had a four-point play at Middle Tennessee on Nov. 18, 2014. Williams’ play was odd in that he was fouled while making a 2-pointer. He missed the free throw, but grabbed the rebound and scored.
MSU made a season-high 10 3-point baskets in the game. Their 8-of-12 first half led to a 10-of-21 night for 47 percent. MSU last had a 10-plus 3-point game last March when they hit 14 at Tulsa when they played a second round game in the National Invitation Tournament.
Jeffery Moss was presented with a trophy ball before the game in honor of his recent accomplishment of joining the MSU 1000-Point Club. Murray State’s first 1,000-point man Bennie Purcell presented the ball to Moss. Purcell hit his 1,000th point in 1952.
The loss to the Aces tonight snapped an eight-game win streak for the Racers against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference. MSU’s last loss to a MVC squad was in the 2011 NIT at Missouri State.
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