MSU Wins 95-85 Over JSU - Home Win Streak is Eight - Murray State University Athletics

Saturday, February 2

Murray, Ky.

7:30 p.m.

Murray State

Jacksonville State

MSU Wins 95-85 Over JSU - Home Win Streak is Eight

2/3/2008 6:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

The Murray State Racers managed to slug out a 95-85 win Thursday at the Regional Special Events Center against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in a game that featured 57 combined fouls and 76 free throws. The Racers moved their overall mark to 14-8 and their spot in second place in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 10-4 mark is solid.

With MSU leading by five at the 10:44 mark of the first half, they broke the contest wide open with an impressive combination of great shooting and air tight defense.

With the score 19-14, Marvin Williams and Bruce Carter scored for a 23-14 lead with 8:24 left.

Moments later, the Racers ran off quick baskets on a slam-dunk by Tony Easley, a three-pointer from Kevin Thomas, and an old-fashioned three-point play from Tyler Holloway.

When Kevin Thomas hit another three, MSU's lead was 36-16 with 4:04 left in the half.

From the 8:24 mark to 4:04, MSU scored 17 points and held JSU to two.

The Gamecocks ended the half on an 11-3 run to cut the MSU lead to 39-27 at the half

Kevin Thomas had a new career high of 16 when he made a driving lay up with 15:49 remaining; the Racers were in front 51-35.

JSU cut the MSU lead to seven points with 44 seconds left before the Racers held on for a 95-85 final.

Marvin Williams had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Kevin Thomas set a career high with 23 points. Tony Easley had 14, Bruce Carter added 13, Tyler Holloway scored 12.

The Racers last field goal of the game came with 4:38 left, MSU made 14-of-18 from the line to close the game out.

The Racers are off until beginning the “Death Valley” trip Thursday with an 8 p.m. CST game in Richmond against Eastern Kentucky. The game will be aired on ESPNU. Saturday, MSU plays a 3:15 p.m. CST game at Morehead State.

This decade, MSU has swept this trip twice and have been swept once. Three times, they have split. Since 1990, MSU is 23-11 on the “Death Valley” swing.

GAME NOTES

Kevin Thomas had a career high with 23 points passing his previous best of 14 against Austin Peay Jan. 10. He also had five assists.

Marvin Williams grabbed a career high 11 rebounds. MSU has had a player get a double-double in four straight games.

Here are the others:

Jan. 26 vs Southeast Missouri, Bruce Carter (15 pts, 13 reb.)

Jan. 29 vs Samford, Bruce Carter (19 pts, 11 reb.)

Jan. 31 vs Austin Peay, Tony Easley (18 pts, 10 reb.)

The Racers made it through a tough stretch of games in which they played five games in eight days. MSU went 4-1 with wins over Tennessee Tech, Southeast Missouri, Samford, and Jacksonville State, all at home. They lost on the road at Austin Peay. MSU was 8-2 in January with both losses coming in overtime.

The Racers extended some streaks in the game against JSU:

Kevin Thomas has at least one assist in 20 straight games, Tyler Holloway has 10.

Bruce Carter has scored in double-figures in 12 straight games. Holloway has five straight.

Holloway has 26 consecutive starts, Tony Easley 19, Carter 11, and Danero Thomas nine.

However, Holloway's streak of making at least one three-pointer was stopped at 10 straight, he was 0-of-2 against JSU.

MSU is 116-22 (.840) in 10 years of hoops in the RSEC and 81-14 (.852) against OVC opponents. MSU has won eight straight at home since a Dec. 5 loss to Eastern Kentucky.

MSU will find out Monday or Tuesday of their game assignment in the ESPN BracketBuster series. The Racers will have a home game Feb. 23. MSU is 3-0 all-time in the BracketBuster series with wins over Rice (2005), Illinois- Chicago (2006), and Rider (2007).